Ever After
by Shadow over Egypt
Summary: Fairytale is a very trying place. Children get abandoned; loves fall under evil spells, and members of royalty get abducted on a regular basis. Still, if it's 'Happy Ever After' you're looking for, it's obligatory to start with 'Once Upon a Time...' AU
1. The Sleeping Beauty

**Shadow: **Here's for the first forays into the weird and wonderful fandom that is Tsubasa/CLAMP - is it just me, or are those evil ladies making it incredibly hard to categorise their work now? Everything overlaps in such whirly-swirly ways the fans' heads are going to fall off out of sheer dizziness.

As for this - _Hansel and Gretel_ meets _East of the Sun and West of the Moon _meets _Snow White, _with a strong siding of _Rapunzel _and _Little Red Riding Hood, _and the occasional dash of _Cinderella._ And others. Probably. (Tsubasa fits too well to fairytales.)

**_Full Summary:_ **'Fairytale' is a very trying place. Children get abandoned; loves fall under evil spells, and various members of royal families get abducted on an almost regular basis. Even with a witch on-hand all ills can't simply be wished away – but then, if it's really the _'happy ever after'_ you're looking for, it's quite obligatory to start with _'once upon a time…' _AU, with heavy reference to canon.

**_Pairings:_ **KuroFai, AshFai, SyaoSaku and DoumWataHima(ish?) Basically, anything implied (or outright stated in recent chapters of the manga with some pairings) in CLAMP canon that my mind stumbles across.

**_Warnings: _**As you can perhaps tell from the pairings above, there's _shonen-ai_, boy x boy. If you don't like it, and read it anyway, please don't waste your time complaining. There will also probably be _spoilers_ for the latest chapters of XxxHolic and Tsubasa at various points, or just advanced chapters that you should really know about anyway. (It seems hard to believe the clones were a _secret _at some point.) ...Also - magic, violence, woe, and the potential of bloody mayhem in the future. Just so you know. ^^

**_Important Note: _**(Sorry, this is the last thing, and then I'm done.) I've swapped around the names of the twins: Fai, in this, is the Yuui-of-Valeria, Fai-of-Celes and the Fai who treks from world to world with the rest of the (Scooby) gang. Yuui, therefore, is Fai-of-Valeria, the twin who, in canon, died. Now that's clear...

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter I: The Sleeping Beauty_**

_Once upon a time, a very long, _long _time ago, there was a kingdom called Valeria, which was constantly covered in ice and snow. Although a rather cold place to live it was also incredibly beautiful, its citizens happy as the land itself was prosperous and at peace. _

_The King of Valeria was childless. His wife, the Queen, had died when she was still a young woman, and the King had sought no other to replace her after her passing. The King was forever sad about her death, but did not mind so much being without child. He had an heir – the Crown Prince, his little brother, whose own young wife was heavy with child, flush with the life growing within her. The kingdom looked forward to the birth of her baby, the Crown Prince's baby, the child that would one day wear Valeria's Crown._

_The princess gave birth to twins. They were beautiful: twin boys, with hair that would grow as golden as the sunshine, eyes as blue as the never-ending summer sky. They were _magical – _the bright spark of magic in their small hands when their parents touched their tiny fingertips -, stronger than their parents, innately stronger than nearly everyone. Porcelain white, talented, vivacious, perfect._

_But they were _twins_._

_It was a well-accepted fact twins were bad luck, in this the land that thrived on magic and superstition. Two lives where there should be one, displacing the natural order with mirrored chaos. When twins were born in Valeria, they were immediately left out in the frozen wastes beyond the cities to die - that was the way things were done. When the twins were dead, natural order could be realigned, and life could continue._

_The Crown Prince and his wife didn't put their children out to die. As the midwives gathered around the princess' labour-bed gasped in horror, in revulsion, the Crown Prince clutched his two boys to his chest, wiping them clean when the attending nurses refused to come near. He watched over the children as his wife slept, recovering from the birth, keeping them safe from the wary, scowling eyes of the rest of the palace, of the rest of Valeria. He defended them before his brother, the King, and pleaded for the twins' lives to be spared. They were children, innocent of the ridiculous stigma attached to them. They were royalty; it would be a sin to let them die. _

_The King, convinced by the desperation in his brother's blue eyes, frowned down at the two tiny lives draped in the robes of Valeria's royalty. His heirs, his blood, swallowed up by the cloth and world they were smothered in. "What have you named them?"_

"_Fai," the Crown Prince replied, motioning a hand to the nursemaid who reluctantly carried the eldest child, "and Yuui." He gestured to the remaining boy, cradled by another maid._

_The King looked imperiously down upon the babies, on the children of misfortune, ready to condemn them. And then his brother looked at him, pleading, and the King's resolve died. _

"…_They are your sons." Hope flared on the face of the Crown Prince, disbelieving and elated all at once. "Do with them as you will."_

_The Crown Prince kept them, living, breathing, and wonderful, and raised them. His wife stood by his decision, doubtful as she was of it, stony-faced when Valeria glared her small family down and said she'd brought nothing but bad luck to the kingdom, she'd spawned the misfortune of them all. _

_Yuui and Fai were…just _children. _Little boys, tiny bundles of life, barely a fortnight old. Yes, they were twins, but they were angels when they slept, precious gifts from above. They were innocent._

_The Crown Prince contracted a strange disease and died before his children saw through a year, and half the country died with him as the sickness ravaged the populace. The royal twins were blamed of course, the survivors wishing to drag the babies from their cots and leave them in the barren wild, but their mother protected them, and appealed for the King's aid. The King aided her. The children lived._

_The cattle became ill, drinking from streams infected by the human dead. Most of them died, and the food supplies plummeted. Hunger set into the country. The royal twins were blamed, the famine-struck citizens wishing to have the babies abandoned in the wild. Their mother protected them, appealing for the King's protection. The King once more aided his brother's widow, and the children lived._

_Slowly, carefully, Fai and Yuui grew up in a country that hated them. They were three when famine hit Valeria again; six when the sickness that killed their father returned; eight when the river that fed the main cities of the country inexplicably froze over; ten when their mother, tired of everything, committed suicide. Everything was their fault, their problem. Everything was because the Twins of Misfortune were alive, and protected by the Royal House._

_Without their mother to appeal for them, the twins were at the mercy of the King, who was faced by the hordes of his angry people. Old, sick, and weary of such massive loss of life, the King ordered the children to be taken to the furthest reaches of Valeria, to the dense dark wood that bordered the edge of their country. The children were to be left there, to fend for themselves as they would, and hopefully to die._

_The twins were not present when the King decided their fates, excluded from the throne room whilst the adults discussed them. Fai, however, had snuck down from the chambers he shared with his brother, leaving Yuui asleep. Fai listened as the King gave the commands, and he cried. _

_It was done as the King commanded. The twins were plucked from their beds within the night, Yuui still mostly asleep, clutching confusedly onto the form of his blank-faced brother. The children were placed within a black coach, the royal insignia absent, with two guards to accompany them, and a driver to whip on the fastest horses the country could provide. Valeria wanted rid of the twins as soon as possible._

_They arrived at the forest by dawn, the guards taking the children deep within the trees in the morning mists, dragging them along. The guards, focused on their mission, looked only ahead. Yuui, tired and confused, focused only on not tripping over his feet. Fai, little Fai, focused on dropping the pearl-white pebbles he'd gathered from the palace gardens before leaving his home, leaving a neat trail of stones behind him his twin and he could follow back out of the forest. _

_When the guards left them, deep within the misty forest, Fai waited a while. The guards had promised to come back, thinking the twins were stupid children, and Fai had glared after their retreating backs, holding tightly onto Yuui's hand, the younger sibling drowsing against his brother's side. When about an hour had elapsed Fai shook Yuui awake, and the two followed the path of pebbles Fai had made on their way in, winding around the trees to find their way home._

_The twins were, however, unlucky. Walking too quickly they stumbled across the guards who had deposited them in the forest to begin with, the two men having stopped in the shade to eat breakfast. Catching sight of the little princes and their 'path' one guard reached out to snatch the boys, dragging them off again, deeper into the forest than before. His partner, staying behind, set about destroying the pebble-trail, the only real way the princes had of getting back out of the wood._

_Fai and Yuui were abandoned in the forest on the edge of Valeria, age ten. They were given no provisions; the only thing left with them was the clothes they wore and each other. The last Valerian to see them alive was the guard who left them in the forest, the twins with the sunshine hair swallowed up by the dark trees._

_In Valeria the years slowly passed, one by one. The country's woes, rather than improving, declined all the more rapidly after the royal twins were lost, famine, sickness and eventually revolt running rife. The country fell inwards, destroying itself, and soon there was nothing left of Valeria but half-forgotten towers vanishing under the snow._

_In the nameless kingdom the years passed, centuries, and the eternal ice and snow began to melt. New life started in the strange kingdom, dark-haired travellers arriving from over the sea beyond the distant mountains, taking a liking to this new land that showed signs of flourishing green. The travellers settled down there, bore families, and they called their new home 'Nihon'. _

_More time passed – eons, generation after generation. Nihon grew strong, expanding, its people happy and content. The land was fresh with flora, the crops plentiful as each and every year as the rains came, as the sun shone down. On the edge of Nihon the dark forest grew, lush and cool, but those of the kingdom rarely went into it, thinking the place enchanted. It was said spirits lurked in the leafy groves, witches and the fey, and the few brave souls who'd moved amongst the trees had heard laughter echoing back at them, circling around and around._

_Nobody remembered Valeria, the ruined kingdom of ice. Nobody remembered the tragedy of the Royal House, and nobody remembered the two little princes, abandoned to the dark forest, lost for such a very, very long time._

_The twins were happy with that._

* * *

There was dead silence in the forest as Kurogane went through his training exercises, save for the faint inhale and exhale of the man's own breath. Moving slowly through his exercises Kurogane strained not to hear the quiet, concentrating on his own heartbeat, the strong grip he held on his sword, Ginryuu. Although he'd been coming to the forest for a good few months to train he had still to grow completely accustomed to the silence; as a shinobi, personal guard to Tsukoyomi, Tomoyo-hime, he was expected to be in-tune with the natural world. The forest on the edge of Nihon, dark and dense and seemingly endless, was an entity outside of normality, apparently living in and of itself, but devoid of noticeable life. The trees, tall, ancient and stately, seemed eternal, branches whispering archaic secrets overhead.

The people of Nihon said the forest was enchanted, full of mad spirits that would snatch your soul and your sanity and leave you a raving lunatic. Kurogane found the stories laughable but useful – barely anyone ever went to the forest, too afraid of it, and so the shade beneath the trees was a good place to get some undisturbed training done. The castle, Shirasagi, was a noisy place, and so Kurogane escaped it and the city surrounding it once a week to ride to the forest, whiling away half a day with his exercises. He was the strongest shinobi in Nihon already, but that was no excuse to become lax and overconfident.

Evening drew on, the shadows lengthening beneath the trees. Kurogane halted his work for the day, taking a short break and then going to mount his horse, tied to a tree near a small brook not that far away. If he rode quickly he could get back to the castle in time for a late supper before checking in on the princess and going to rest – but, of course, his horse seemed to have other ideas.

Seemingly possessed – as the horse was usually a much more docile, obedient creature -, the horse veered sharply left, away from the path Kurogane knew led straight out of the forest. Yanking at the reins did not deter the beast in the slightest, Kurogane actually forced to duck down on the equine's back – with some quite colourful curses - to avoid being hit by low branches as his mount contrarily picked up speed.

Riding, riding, _riding – _Kurogane had no idea what had gotten into his horse, and didn't dare to look up to see where he was going. Strong as he was he could still quite easily get concussion if one of the branches hit him full-on in the face, hunkering his large frame down as he muttered a string of colourful insults to his mount's back.

And then the horse stopped. Dead. For no apparent reason.

Kurogane looked up – and froze. "What-?"

Before him, in a clearing amidst the trees, lay a case. Crafted of crystal and silver it caught the light of the setting sun, throwing rainbows upon the thick grass all around. Sliding down from his horse Kurogane approached the case – and frowned, spotting the strange creature - apparently lying fast asleep – within.

He – she – _it _looked human. Androgynously pretty and young, looking to be in their late teens or early twenties, with pale skin and golden hair that fanned around their head. Kurogane had never seen anyone with hair that shade before; the people of Nihon were dark, and to find this odd person in the middle of the forest with a sunshine mane –

The very logical thing to do would've been for Kurogane to get back up upon his (crazy) horse and get as far away from the clearing as quickly as possible. That was what his shinobi instincts were screaming at him to do, the hairs on the nape of his neck rising at the supernatural feeling lurking around the crystal case. And yet –

"Oi." Kurogane rapped his knuckles on the top of the case, trying to get the attention of the one within. "Idiot, wake up." Enchanted or otherwise, one _really _shouldn't fall asleep in the middle of the forest, even if it was inside a sparkly case-thing.

The sleeping blond didn't stir.

"_Oi." _Kurogane smacked his hand down on the crystal-glass, determined to wake up the idiot. "I'm speaking to you!"

The blond slept on.

Kurogane scowled – a fearsome sight -; sliding his hands down the crystal to find some edge he could grip to open the case. Finding one he slid his fingers underneath, muscles straining for a few minutes to lift the heavy lid and fling it back, the roof of the casing smacking into the grass on the other side with a tremendous racket. _Nobody _could have slept through that.

The blond did, the stranger's chest rising and falling in unfeigned, peaceful sleep. Kurogane frowned, and poked the slumbering youth before him in the stomach, setting a wrinkle in the shirt the sleeper was wearing. There was no response.

This…reeked of magic. Uncomfortable as the light within the forest died, Kurogane swiftly made his decision. He reached down and plucked up the blond stranger, putting the obviously enchanted youth over his shoulder and heading for his horse. Tomoyo-hime was a miko; she could probably do something for whatever was keeping the boy asleep.

Climbing up onto his mount and putting the stranger before him to stop the blond falling off Kurogane set off home, pleased to note his horse seemed to have regained its sanity as it automatically trotted back the way it had came. It was time to be getting back to Nihon, and to Shirasagi.

* * *

"_Watanuki~!"_ The sing-song trill happily echoed throughout the little house on the island in the middle of the lake in the middle of the enchanted forest, bouncing from room to room to room –

Or perhaps that was just Mokona, drunk from sake, sparkles swirling in the little black creature's wake as Maru and Moro gave squealing chase.

"_Watanuki, Watanuki!"_

"_Watanuki, Watanuki!"_

And the demon behind them all –

"_Watanuki~!"_

"_What?" _Watanuki Kimihiro burst through into the main parlour of the house, hands on his hips as he glared down at the somewhat drunken form of his personal tormentor.

Yuuko smiled and waved at him, reclining rather lazily on one of her long couches in her usual indecent sprawl. "More sake, Watanuki!"

"_Already?" _Six empty bottles already littered the room, as well as a stack of empty plates Watanuki knew he'd have to clear up later. Yuuko was a witch in more ways than one – food and alcohol seemed to disappear within moments of being anywhere near her.

"That was the dinner sake!" Yuuko pouted at the scowl her employee shot her way. "Now we need the evening sake!"

"With snacks!" Mokona chose that moment to burst in through the parlour doors, bounding up to bounce on Watanuki's head. "Mokona wants snacks!"

"_Snacks, snacks~" _Maru and Moro joined hands around Watanuki's person, dancing around the boy in a circle.

"Nikujaga!" Yuuko seemed to have caught onto the theme, clapping her hands together in delight and rising to a more upright position.

Watanuki flailed, the girls spinning around him springing away at the roar with a delighted squeal. "_You just ate!"_

"_Nikujaga~!" _Mokona was undaunted, bouncing, bouncing, _bouncing _on Watanuki's head. The poor boy could feel a headache coming on. _Two, _in fact. One for each of Mokona's jumping feet.

"_Fine!" _Watanuki reached up to grab Mokona, firmly setting the little creature down on a nearby table. "I'll go make you nikujaga."

"_Yay!" _The cheer came from all present, Watanuki turning on his heel in a huff.

Yuuko waved after him. "Watanuki, don't forget the sake~!"

Watanuki stomped his way back down to the kitchen where he'd been originally working, dragging out the ingredients he'd need from the cupboards with entirely more force than was necessary. Yuuko was a demanding mistress, whimsical and strange, and there were many weird and wonderful ingredients lurking in the kitchen's stocks, there to meet whatever demands the demented witch made upon her overworked servant.

…Yuuko was a witch who granted wishes, for a price equivalent to the wish requested. Watanuki, plagued by demons and spirits, had fled his home in Nihon, running after the rumours of the woman who lived on an island in the middle of the enchanted forest. He'd found the island, as Yuuko said did all people who had a wish strong enough, and he'd found Yuuko herself. (Oh, how he wished he hadn't.)

Watanuki had wished to be free of the things that haunted him. Yuuko had agreed to grant him his wish – for a price. Watanuki would work at her house, at her shop, for an indeterminate amount of time, until he'd worked a time equal to the price of his wish. (Yuuko remained stubbornly vague as to when such a time would be.) But Yuuko was a wicked, evil witch –

"_Watanuki!" _That was Yuuko, calling from the parlour again.

Watanuki stuck his head out of the kitchen door, and yelled back. "The nikujaga isn't ready yet!"

Yuuko ignored the comment. "We have a customer!"

"_What?" _It was night-time – the shop barely _ever _had visitors this late. But – there was Maru and Moro, bouncing through the front doors, apparently having had rowed over the lake to fetch their customer as each girl was attached to one hand of one very, _very _confused-looking boy.

Watanuki stared at the stranger, adjusting his glasses as he took in tousled brown hair and dark, weary brown eyes. He was dressed in a brown cloak – the stranger definitely had a theme going on -, with black boots and gloves.

The stranger stared back at him, taking in the white apron Watanuki wore whilst he was cooking. "Are you…the witch of this island?" He didn't sound very impressed.

"That would be me." Yuuko chose that moment to make her dramatic entrance, pulling back the sliding door leading to the parlour with a dramatic flourish and standing there in her usual form-fitting choice of wear, begging to be ogled. (It was such a pity the effect was night totally wasted on the two human boys currently with her.) "Welcome to my shop!"

The customer started forwards. "I have a wish -"

Yuuko laid a finger on his lips, smiling gently. "In good time. Aren't you exhausted after your long journey? Come, have something to eat and drink."

"But I -"

"An hour or two won't harm her, I promise." Yuuko looped an arm around the brunet's shoulders, pulling the boy into the parlour with her. She was gentle, careful of the tiredness that radiated off the stranger's form. "Watanuki -"

Watanuki winced, meeting the demon-witch's red eyes as the woman looked back over her shoulder.

"Bring some oden for our customer!"

"_You said you wanted nikujaga!"_

"Oden, oden~!" Maru and Moro ran past, singing as they danced after their mistress.

"_Sake~!" _Mokona gleefully bounded after them.

Watanuki debated the usefulness of smacking his head off the wall.

* * *

Kurogane stood, arms folded across his chest, and glared down Amaterasu, Kendappa-ou, the Empress of Nihon, as she looked down at him from the dais on which stood her throne. He'd dumped his enchanted luggage down in a spare bedchamber not far from his own, sliding off to inform Tomoyo-hime - but informing Tomoyo-hime meant informing Souma, a fellow shinobi, and _Souma _had slunk off to inform the Empress and….here they all were.

Amaterasu was unimpressed by her sister's guardian's glare. "I have had all manner of strange things brought to my palace over the years, Kurogane. Foreign, exotic creatures carried by ambassadors from faraway places, trainers from this very Nihon presenting me with beautiful native birds and fish. I even remember Souma bringing me a dead frog once, when she was four." Souma flushed cherry-pink, Tomoyo – at her sister's side - smothering a giggle behind one hand as Kendappa continued, "But _you, _shinobi…only _you _could bring me a dead boy from the enchanted forest."

"He's not dead." Kurogane scowled at his Empress, ignoring the chiding looks shot his way by Souma for his tone. "He's still breathing."

"Comatose, then." Amaterasu amended. "…Kurogane, I must say I really don't approve of you using physical violence against a fellow human being merely because their hair is a different colour than your own."

"Hey, wait a-!" Kurogane spluttered, sensing the implication in his sovereign's words. "_I _didn't knock him out!"

"Then who did?"

"How should I know?! It's a little hard to ask someone when they won't wake up!"

"Always so _rough, _Kurogane-san." _That _choice comment was from the princess, Tomoyo beaming angelically at her shinobi as she dropped her hand from her mouth. Souma tittered in the background, Amaterasu following suit – _women. _

Kurogane scowled, and fixed his eyes on the miko. "Can you wake the guy up or not?" There was an odd headache pounding away at his temples – probably a by-product of being surrounded by so many (women) who delighted in making his life a certain kind of hell -, and he felt a little weak – probably from lack of food; he hadn't eaten his supper yet.

"I'll have to examine him before I can tell you." Tomoyo's tone became more serious, his eyes wide and solemn. "But I'll do my best."

"…Thank you." Kurogane bowed his head slightly – the most respect he showed to anyone. He wasn't all too sure why he was all that bothered about the fate of the blond stranger he'd taken from the forest only…that enchanted sleep. It bothered him, much like the all-out thundering in his skull, headache waging war with his patience.

He left the throne room when dismissed, sidling along to the kitchens to grab a few rolls to eat before heading for his chambers. The rolls, although plain, were hard to swallow – Kurogane's throat felt as if it had closed up, his stomach doing turn after nauseous turn in his abdomen. He felt dizzy, sick, stumbling into his room and collapsing on his futon still wearing the black cloak and mask he'd worn for his training that day.

Sleep came to Kurogane quickly – or rather, swift unconsciousness.

* * *

It was night over Nihon, and over the forest on the edge of the kingdom. The stars were out and shining, the waxing moon hanging as a sickle over the trees. Silver light shone down on the opened crystal case in the forest clearing, catching the glass and silver and making the area all around glow – magically, beautifully, _disrupted_.

From the trees on the edge of the clearing a figure stepped – a young man, lanky, blue-eyed, blond. His hair was cut short about his face, his clothes shades of white and blue. He carried some strange flowers in one hand – nothing natural, the flora looked artificial, on closer inspection revealed to be crafted out of glittering ice. (Spun out of magic and wishes and dreams, with heartsorrow and grief for the blooms.) They had been brought - presumably - to lie upon the crystal case as a gift or offering of some sort, but when the visitor caught sight of the thrown-back lid –

The flowers were dropped, snapping as they made impact with the hard ground. Blue eyes – brilliant, _brilliant _blue – were wide in horror, utterly, utterly aghast, flickering around the clearing as if to look for the form missing from its bed on the silver. Seeing nothing but the moonlit-drenched forest the man turned back on his heel with a cry, and disappeared the way he had come.

The forest fell silent again, impassive.

* * *

"Kurogane-san?" Tomoyo tapped on the door leading to her shinobi's chambers. It was late, stupidly so, but Kurogane always woke the moment she called for him – the princess knew that for a fact, having tested it when she was younger, and Kurogane took pride in his ability. "Kurogane, are you there?" Some servants had said this was the way the man had come, so Kurogane should probably be inside. She wanted to tell him about her preliminary examination of the boy from the forest, that strange blond… "Kurogane?"

There was a low whine from inside the room.

Somewhat worried by the noise Tomoyo carefully opened the door, sticking her head around to look inside. If Kurogane were…sleeping or busy she'd go away again, but –

"_Oh_." The princess' eyes widened, her grip tightening on the doorframe.

The large black wolf wearing Kurogane's mask and cloak looked up at the princess-miko from where it sat on the shinobi's futon, red eyes pitifully mournful. It whined again upon seeing Tomoyo, struggling to get out of the cloth encumbering its four-legged form.

Tomoyo pushed the door open a little wider, and came inside. She addressed the wolf, hesitant but unafraid, sensing no ill-will from the creature. In fact - "Kurogane…?"

The wolf _barked _once, sharply. And nodded.

"Kurogane-san," Tomoyo knelt beside her shinobi's side, slightly flummoxed as to what could have caused the man's sudden transformation, "just what _did _you do?"


	2. Three Wishes

**Shadow: **The second instalment? I've not really much to say this time around, save a) things are slowly getting explained and, b) Kurofai fans, please don't hit me? ^^;

_**Warnings: **S__honen-ai_, boy x boy. If you don't like it, and read it anyway, please don't waste your time complaining. There will also probably be _spoilers_ for the latest chapters of XxxHolic and Tsubasa at various points, and general magic, violence, woe, and the potential of bloody mayhem in the future. Just so you know.

_**Important note: **_For the sake of familiarity I've switched the names of the twins around - 'Fai', in this, is the Horitsuba!Fai, Fai-of-Celes and Yuui-of-Valeria - aka, the twin who lived. 'Yuui' is the twin who died - Horitsuba!Yuui.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter II: Three Wishes_**

_Once upon a time, not really _that _very long ago considering it was only fifteen years or so, there was a kingdom called Clow. It was a desert kingdom, on the other side of the mountains, on the other side of the forest on the edge of Nihon. It mostly relied on trade to get by, dealing in precious metals, fine cloths and perfumes. _

_The King of Clow kingdom had once _been _a man called Clow – a powerful magician. He'd died quite a few years back – or at least, he'd disappeared on everyone, so he was assumed dead. The current King was his descendant, Fujitaka, his wife and Queen, Nadeshiko._

_Fujitaka and Nadeshiko had two children – one boy, the Crown Prince Toya, and one girl, Sakura. They were both beautiful, clever children in their own right, a delight to their parents and to their kingdom. Sakura, however –_

_Before Clow had died, he'd made a string of prophecies. Quite accustomed to that sort of thing his two magically-crafted companions, Yue and Keroberos, took note of what was said – or rather, Yue took note, and Keroberos played with a ball of wool in his sealed form, much like a winged kitten would. _

_There was to be a princess one day, Clow said, who would fall in love and marry her destined one, the two together taking down the evil that was Clow's estranged brother, Fei Wong Reed. They would know the girl by the star-key she summoned by herself, plucked from the night sky by her own magic, her own destiny. And Yue and Keroberos were to guard her._

_Sakura was that little girl. In her third year she'd stretched out a hand to the night sky and a small key emblazoned with the sign of a star had appeared in her hand, the sealed staff the little Clow princess would one day carry. Fujitaka, Nadeshiko, Yue and Keroberos had immediately closed in around the girl in worry – Sakura, destined to be the destruction of Fei Wong Reed, could incur nothing but that dark magician's wrath._

_Fei Wong Reed came and stole Sakura away on her seventh birthday, sending in his minions to take the princess from beneath her parents' noses, snatching the girl away from her childhood friend and playmate. The boy had cried out, anguished, and the King, Queen, prince and kingdom had wept, but there was nothing anyone could do, save send out Yue and Keroberos to guard the little princess the best they could, wherever she was doomed to be. Fei Wong Reed was too _strong _to take on._

_Sakura was taken to a faraway castle in the distant mountains, a place enchanted by faeries so that only magical beings – or ones who bore magic – of considerable strength could reach it. Yue and Keroberos came to her there, and cradled her as she cried, but were bound by magic stronger than themselves – they could not take the princess away. Fei Wong Reed, likewise, overcome by his brother's lingering strength, could not send away these creations of Clow - and so the guardians stayed, and watched Sakura grow._

_They were all to be there for a very long time._

* * *

The brunet boy groaned as he leaned on the table, his head in his hands. It was late morning; he'd promised himself to only eat and drink a little before telling the witch his wish the night before but then Yuuko had kept filling up his glass with sake and-!

"Hangover?"

The boy at the table looked up; meeting the frank gaze of the one Yuuko had called Watanuki. The black-haired young man was already in his apron – he probably _lived _in it, considering how much Yuuko had eaten the night before -, a glass of water and some weird powdery pills in his hand as he approached the stranger to the shop. He offered them out.

"These should help with your head."

"Thank you." The brunet took them with a weak smile, downing the pills with a gulp of water and then draining the rest of the glass. "…Yuuko-san gets many hangovers?"

"Most of my mornings are spent dealing with a hungover witch." Watanuki smiled, wry, tinged with nostalgia and despairing exasperation. (His companion was glad the other wasn't shrieking and flailing like the previous night – he didn't think his head could take the noise.) "Most of my afternoons, evenings and nights too. I think I've forgotten what Yuuko's like when she's sober."

Yuuko's customer smiled as well, before putting down the glass and extending a hand. "I'm Syaoran." Li Syaoran, but his father had been _Li..._

"Watanuki. Would you like some pancakes?"

"Pancakes?" A little furry black head suddenly peeked around Syaoran's frame and the boy jumped – Mokona was up and about, and the brunet hadn't noticed him. "Mokona wants pancakes too!"

Syaoran craned his neck around, trying to catch a proper glimpse of the bouncing creature.

Mokona, however, remained stubbornly elusive, jumping from place to place singing his pancake song (apparently thought up that very moment, as Watanuki could thankfully say he'd never heard the dreadful warbling words before). _"Pancakes, pancakes~, a very special treat, Mokona eats pancakes – very good to eat!"_

Syaoran looked rather helplessly to Watanuki. "What is Mokona?"

"An ungrateful, unappreciative fluffball," Watanuki adroitly responded.

"Mokona is Mokona!" Mokona protested, hopping up onto the table before their guest and extending one tiny black hand for Syaoran to shake. "Mokona Modoki at your service!"

Syaoran took Mokona's hand and gently shook it, managing somehow to do it all with perfect gravity and seriousness. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Syaoran-kun's so _polite!" _Yuuko waltzed into the room clad in a long dress and robe, hair loose about her shoulders and back as she leaned down to conspiratorially stage-whisper in the brunet's ear, "_Nothing _like Watanuki-kun. He's always so mean~."

"Mean, mean!" Mokona bounced over to the witch, beaming when Yuuko reached out to pet him. "Watanuki said Mokona was a fluffball!"

"How cruel!" Mokona snuggled against Yuuko's cheek, the witch and her creation pointedly ignoring everyone else.

"Watanuki's cruel!" Mokona happily chimed in with the decision, apparently completely unbothered by whatever spewed out of his mouth. "He hasn't made pancakes yet!"

"Pancakes?" Yuuko visibly perked up at the mention of the food. "Watanuki's making pancakes?" She clapped her hands, doing a happy spin that was quite scary for a supposedly grown woman. "We'll need more sake!"

"It's too early to be drinking!" Watanuki gave his token protest, quite aware no-one but Syaoran was actually listening to him, Mokona and Yuuko too busy singing and twirling around the table in glee for the alcohol that was to come. "Don't you have a _hangover _anyway?" (Even though Watanuki had the strong suspicion the witch feigned at least three-quarters of her morning maladies so she could get – nonexistent – sympathy from her employee.)

"Silly Watanuki-kun!" Yuuko paused a moment to pet her employee on the head indulgently, much like she'd done to Mokona. (Watanuki, therefore, in the witch's eyes, was equivalent to the chirruping pet of the household.) "Everyone knows the best cure for a hangover is more sake!"

"_Sake, sake~!" _Mokona was back to spinning.

Syaoran had adopted the look of one who had inadvertently stepped into a madhouse.

* * *

There was silence in Shirasagi's throne room for a long while, the morning sun almost deafening as it broke in through the large archways that worked as windows in the larger rooms of the castle. Kendappa, Tomoyo, Souma and Kurogane had resumed almost perfectly the positions they had been in the night before – the slight difference being, of course, that Kurogane was currently in the form of a large black wolf. (He looked just as pissed-off as usual though.)

"Imouto," it was Amaterasu who eventually broke the quiet, arms folded across her chest as she eyed the animal that Nihon's strongest shinobi had currently become, "I really don't see what your problem is with this development. Rather, I think it's an improvement -"

Kurogane snarled at the empress, fangs bared.

"– on his looks, if not his temperament." The woman finished. "A wolf can still be an efficient guardian."

"Onee-chan," Tomoyo's tone was chiding, although obviously laced with amusement. "We can't leave Kurogane-san like this."

"I suppose not," the empress reluctantly agreed. "He probably isn't house-trained."

"_I can _hear _you, you know!" _The angry words burst through from the throat of the wolf, Kurogane's claws digging into the beautiful tatami matting beneath his paws.

Amaterasu flapped a hand, as if fanning herself, completely ignoring the shinobi. "It's a pity the spell or curse or _whatever _it was didn't do something about his speech."

"It's definitely a curse," her sister informed her. "The one who made it probably thought any wolves that came into contact with humans would be shot and killed on sight, so their talking would make very little difference."

Souma nodded. "That is the general feeling of the villages on the edge of Nihon, Majesty – nobody trusts anything that comes from the forest."

"And yet Kurogane goes in there weekly." The empress heaved a dramatic sigh. "We did warn him."

"_I'm still here!"_

"Can you break the curse?" Amaterasu looked to her sister, the kingdom's miko.

Slowly, sadly, Tomoyo shook her head. "…Whoever cast the curse is stronger than me; the same goes for the enchantment on the young man brought back from the forest. The magic…feels _different, _as if it came from different people, but the same…as if they used the same method? It is difficult to explain." Kendappa-ou petted her on the shoulder, offering comfort. "I don't know what to do, except maybe -" She trailed off, before glancing up to the empress. The two sisters shared meaningful looks.

"_What_?" Kurogane asked from the tatami, fed-up at being ignored. "What do you want to do?"

* * *

"Ashura-ou?"

Ashura looked up from the book he'd been reading, unsurprised to see Chii blinking sadly at him from the doorway of the library he sat in, golden hair pooling almost miserably on the floor behind her.

"Yes, Chii?" He kept his voice gentle, seeing how pathetic the magically-created girl looked, white kitten ears drooping on either side of her head. "What is it?"

"Fai-san's locked his door again," the child confessed, crossing the floor to take a seat on the floor at Ashura's side, snuggling into the faerie's leg. Ashura allowed the action, knowing how starved of affection the girl was likely to be now her beloved Fai was ignoring her. "And he won't let Chii in to talk to him."

"Fai is very sad right now, Chii." Ashura carefully petted the girl's head, amber-brown eyes blinking up at him at the motion.

"Because of Yuui-san going missing?"

"That's right."

"Will he yell at Ashura-ou again?" Chii clung onto the male beside her more tightly, fingers digging in through the robes the faerie wore. "Chii didn't like it when Fai-san yelled."

Ashura sighed, and leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully contemplating the wall opposite him. "He was very hurt, Chii; he didn't mean to scare you."

Chii looked confused. "Chii didn't see him bleeding."

"Because Fai _wasn't_ bleeding." Chii rose up onto her knees, putting her hands on Ashura's lap as she tried to fathom out just what exactly it was the faerie was telling her. "He was hurt on the inside." Ashura looked down at her, raising one of his own hands to press against the girl's chest, above her beating heart. "He was hurt here."

_Very _hurt. The youth had come back to the cottage in the forest they called home in quite a state the previous night, pale cheeks pink from exertion, hair tousled, breathing heavily. Fai had run all the way back from the clearing where his brother had lain sleeping, apparently, but he'd still had enough breath to launch himself at a rather bewildered Ashura, clinging to the taller male's front as he cried out that Yuui was gone, Yuui was gone, Yuui was _gone. _In the next breath he'd stepped back from his grief, blue eyes still bright with tears turning to fury as he cursed the 'ineffectual' spell Ashura had laid upon Yuui's resting place – _no-one _was supposed to have been able to open the lid, no-one! The curse was supposed to take effect long before the case opened – and yet, Yuui was gone.

It wasn't as if the boy could've awoken and walked away, either. Fai had laid the sleeping charm upon his brother himself, cradling his twin to his chest as Yuui smiled his goodbyes and drifted off to dreams. Fai was more powerful than Ashura he knew, or thought he knew, but Ashura had said he'd put something on the case and Fai had trusted him, Fai had _believed _him, and hadn't asked a word, because Ashura was Ashura-ou and if he didn't ask any questions the strange faerie – faerie _king – _wouldn't tell him any lies. Fai didn't even know what the curse on the case had been supposed to _do – _but that didn't matter anymore. Yuui was gone.

The blond had rushed back out into the night he'd came from, determined to search the forest as far as he could. Chii had darted out after him, crying Fai's name repeatedly, helplessly, but Fai either hadn't heard or he had heard and totally ignored her – it had been difficult to tell. Chii had come back, heartbroken, and cried herself to sleep in the corner of Fai's bed, waiting for the boy to come home, when he would undoubtedly wake her.

Fai had searched the forest for his errant brother until daybreak, and obviously found nothing. Ashura had waited up for the youth to come home again – and Fai had come back with the dawn, clothes and hair heavy with the morning dew. He'd stumbled into the cottage, blank, despairing, glancing up with haunted eyes when Ashura had brushed a worried hand over his cheek.

Seeing Chii on his bed Fai had opted not to remain in his own room, going into Yuui's, which hadn't been touched for quite a while, and shutting the door behind him, locking it, closing out the rest of the world. He'd slept in Yuui's bed, with Yuui's sheets wrapped around him, and inside his cocoon breathed in the lingering scent of his twin as he reached out to his lost brother in dreams.

In the present, in the late morning light, Chii looked up at Ashura, eyes painfully wide, trusting. "Will Fai-san get better?"

The faerie petted the girl again, smoothing back one curled white ear with one hand. "I certainly hope so."

* * *

"Are you ready to make your wish, Syaoran-kun?" Yuuko finally approached her customer in a somewhat sedate manner, after having forced Watanuki to make her and Mokona three batches of pancakes each. (Syaoran himself had only _just _managed one batch, and then watched, slightly green, as Yuuko and Mokona continued to down everything that was edible left on the table.)

"Yes, I am." The boy sat up a little straighter at the table in the room Yuuko had led him to, ignoring the green tea placed before him in favour of meeting the witch's eyes. He'd been ready to make his wish for a while – he'd come a long way, across the desert, across the mountains and through the forest, specifically to meet this woman.

Yuuko nodded and took a seat opposite him, cradling her own tea. Her expression gently indicated for the boy to go ahead.

Syaoran wasted no more time. "I want to save Sakura-hime. She -"

"I know who she is;" Yuuko gently cut the boy off, staring into her cup thoughtfully, "her ancestor was a good friend of mine – or at the least, a good rival. Stupid four-eyed bas-"

"Yuuko-san?" Syaoran's turn to interrupt. "You're muttering to yourself."

"…So-!" Yuuko came back to herself. "You wish to save Sakura-chan – from Fei Wong Reed, the magician who took her, I will assume? That's quite a large wish, with a large price attached."

"I'll pay anything."

"You shouldn't be so quick to say that to one such as me," Yuuko gently chided. "Some wishes carry prices too heavy for anyone to bear."

"I'll pay anything," Syaoran insisted, "if it will save Sakura-hime."

Yuuko's eyes softened. "…You're a good boy, Syaoran-kun." She paused, and then nodded. "Very well – I shall grant you your wish. As for your price -" The woman paused, raising her head slightly, as if sensing something on the breeze. Syaoran only had time to hear the witch make a quick, low mutter of what sounded _suspiciously _like, "someone's going to catch me when I'm in the bath one of these days," before a large circular…_portal _opened in the air, a window to another place.

A smiling girl with long hair spoke from the other side, clasping her hands together in happiness when she saw the witch looking back, "_Yuuko-san, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"_

* * *

Ashura felt his young charge's presence before he heard or saw it, and then he _felt _it in an entirely different way when pale fingers lightly touched his shoulder from behind, brushing down his arm before falling away altogether.

"Fai." Ashura raised his own head from where he'd been half dozing, half staring into space, but didn't turn around to look at the youth behind him. Chii had left him a little while ago to pick flowers in the forest, hoping to bring back some blooms to make Fai smile again. (Ashura could've told the girl it was a useless endeavour, but it was even more pointless for the child to mope around the household like her two companions were doing.)

"Ashura-ou…" The faerie could feel Fai's innate magic in the air, the tangible taste of ozone on the tip of his tongue. The boy _breathed _his magic at times, but never so much as when his emotions were strongest – and with Fai, that usually meant the boy was agonisingly sad.

Fai finally came around the chair his mentor was sitting in, sliding to his knees in a pool of sunshine coming through the windows and looking up at Ashura's face. His pose was very similar to the one Chii had taken, but he was still kneeling slightly higher, the expression in his blue eyes –

"I apologise for how I spoke to you earlier;" he was refusing to meet Ashura's eyes at all, gazing past the faerie with skill born of practice, even when Ashura brushed a hand over his cheek, marvelling at the beautiful, lying child kneeling before him, eternally nineteen, "it was rude of me."

"You were right to be upset – after all, this _has _happened before, hasn't it? But then…then the curse took effect as it should have done, and we found Yuui not far outside the clearing…" Ashura sighed when his companion only pressed his lips more tightly together, silent, unmoving when his mentor tucked a stray strand of gold back in its place behind his ear. "Perhaps the curse affects those with different levels of magical resilience differently."

Fai turned his head, looking out at the window on the wall opposite. "The forest looks lovely this morning, doesn't it, Ashura-ou?" The change in topic was blunt – Fai did not wish to remain on this subject. Over the…_hundreds _of mortal years he'd known the blond, Fai still kept to the simple tricks he'd used when he and his brother had been eleven. Back then, before their lives had been twined together, before the twins had entered their own time, frozen from the rest of the world.

"It's always lovely." Ashura gently defended the place that had always been his home, even though no real accusation had been made towards it. The forest had always been his whole world – before the twins, before he'd left his Court to –

"But it's loveliest in the morning sunshine, isn't it?" Fai had switched his smile on, painfully oblivious to how fragile his joyful expression was. "When the gold comes down through the tree-branches and leaves dapples on the ground."

"Do you like the forest, Fai?"

The blond tellingly looked out of the window again. "The forest is my home."

"Fai -"

"Do you think Chii will be gone long?" Fai shifted one of his hands from where it had been gripping the seat's armrest to draw whimsical circles on the back of Ashura's exposed wrist, looping around the jutting bone in whirling curls that spelled out the length of eternity in spells and dreams and wishes that burned the tongue and mind and heart.

Ashura took a hold of that moving hand, stilling his charge's capricious play. Fai looked up at him again, serious. "You should go find her."

Blue eyes were set. "I don't want to."

Ashura gave up on trying to follow the child's train of thought. "Then what _do _you want to do?"

With his free hand, Fai reached up and tangled his hand in the front of his mentor's robes, pulling the faerie king down at the same time as he pushed himself up, colliding their mouths together with an aggression the blond usually kept better hidden. Ashura indulged the hard kiss for a short while before breaking apart, his own lips curving down into a small frown.

"And this will really make you feel better." It wasn't a question.

Fai _smiled _at him, a perversion of a lost wish, and leaned up to kiss his companion once more – hard, pushing himself onto Ashura's lap. With his lips firmly sealed, he didn't have to pretend he wanted to answer.

* * *

Tomoyo beamed at the strange red-eyed woman on the other side of the portal she'd called up with her magic. "Yuuko-san, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Kurogane shifted about where he was sitting, trying to get a better view of the portal and yet not give the impression that was what he was attempting to do. He was a lot closer to the ground after his transformation – the change in height was definitely a pain.

"_Nothing that cannot spare a few more moments, Tomoyo-hime…"_ The woman addressed as 'Yuuko' was definitely good-looking, Kurogane supposed, but in a regal, cold way. She was far too pale and, with her tight, form-fitting attire, looked far too much like the sort of woman who enjoyed playing with men for fun, before leading them back to her lair and devouring their beating hearts while they were _still alive. _(…Wasn't there a type of spider that did that?)

"_Is _this_ our little friend?" _

Kurogane came back to himself from his faraway thoughts to discover the conversation had gone on without him and everyone was looking at him – Yuuko, in particular, looking far too amused from her viewpoint on high.

Instinctively, Kurogane growled. "Who're you calling '_little', _witch?!"

"_Aw~!" _That sort of squeal should not come from a grown woman. Really. Especially such an _evil_ one at that. _"What a grouchy little puppy!" _Quite ignoring Kurogane's snarls Yuuko turned back to the empress and her sister. _"Are you _sure _you want to change him back? I'm sure he looks much cuter this way."_

Souma started to enthusiastically nod her head, but stopped hastily when Kurogane bared his teeth at her. Tomoyo clapped her hands together and looked towards the witch, eyes all a-sparkle. "If only cuteness were truly relevant in this case, Yuuko-san! Truly, my heart is breaking at the thought of all the pretty costumes I could make for Kurogane-san as he is -" (more growling from Kurogane, the wolf's claws out in a clear indication of the swift doom that would meet any and all of said costumes if they ever came to light,) "but I know that Kurogane _must _be returned to normal!"

Kurogane perked up slightly. _Finally _someone in this madhouse was speaking some sense –

"Onee-chan says he isn't house-trained, and I don't think any of the servants would want to clear up after him."

Kurogane's snarls were drowned out by Yuuko's laughter. When the witch was done (and Kurogane was glaring at her), she spoke again. _"So your wish is to return Kurogane to his human form?"_

Tomoyo nodded. "It is."

"_How long has he been this way?"_

"Since last night." Kurogane decided to speak for himself, fed-up with being ridiculed by the females in the conversation. "After I came back from the forest."

The witch frowned at him. _"…You interfered in something you should not have done in the forest, didn't you?"_

"…There was a boy." The shinobi turned wolf felt decidedly awkward recounting this tale to the witch, the woman's gaze horribly unsettling. "In a crystal case. I removed him from it and brought him back to this castle because I thought he was enchanted."

"_He was." _Kurogane winced at Yuuko's dryness – and then her tone lightened, returning to its evil glee of before. _"But I suppose this is just desserts for molesting innocent young boys lying fast asleep in the sun!"_

Kurogane baulked, and immediately lashed out. "_Who're you saying molested someone?!" _

Yuuko ignored him, turning back to the empress and Tomoyo. _"…I will have to come back to you on your wish, Tomoyo-hime; it has a fluctuating price. I will be sure to contact you tomorrow – at the latest."_

"I understand." The princess-miko smiled. "Thank you for your time, Yuuko-san." She inclined her head, ever-polite. The viewing portal connecting the castle to the wish-granting witch disappeared.

* * *

"Watanuki-kun!" Yuuko was standing as soon as she'd finished talking with the princess of Nihon, crossing the floor gracefully with her long legs to stick her head out of the nearby door to call once more for her employee. (And yet, Yuuko didn't really call. She never raised her voice and yet her words echoed all the same, the house shifting around its mistress, breathing and adapting for the witch like the woman's second skin.) _"Watanuki-kun!" _

"Yuuko-san?" The boy appeared out of nowhere once more, Syaoran quietly amused at the fact Watanuki was still wearing his apron. Yuuko really _did _have him living in the thing.

"Watanuki, I'm going to be busy with clients today. Could you take the bentou you usually make and deliver it to Himawari-chan for me?"

"_Himawari-chan~!" _…Apparently Watanuki had very little complaint with the request, if the spinning, sparkly thing he was doing was anything to go by. (There was hearts in the air, Syaoran swore it. Bright pink, bubbly _hearts_, all emanating from the whirling-twirling Watanuki.)

"Syaoran-kun," Yuuko was looking at the brunet again, completely ignoring Watanuki twirling in the background professing his undying love for the witch for letting him visit his 'beloved Himawari-chan', "if you need anything at all, order Watanuki-kun to get it for you before he leaves." If he could get the boy to stop squealing like a prepubescent girl.

Syaoran nodded and the witch left, and the brunet was left with a cup of rapidly cooling green tea and a happy-flailing Watanuki babbling something about the goddess of love, sea-green eyes, and dark black hair.

* * *

Ashura, troubled, finally left the library in his home as the morning slowly slid into the afternoon, the sun above the forest inching lazily across the faraway blue sky. His charge dreamed on alone in the room behind him, a pale tangle of long limbs and soft, deep breath against the library's long couch. The boy had dropped off into sleep as soon as their activities were done with only a thin sheet across his legs for his modesty. (If the boy truly had any, anymore. Ashura certainly didn't know.)

"_Just the faerie I wanted to speak to!"_

Ashura inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of the woman on the other side of the portal he'd just called up, holding the handmirror-sized link just above his palm, his word-based magic swirling around its edges. "Good afternoon, Yuuko-san. To what do I owe the dubious pleasure of your desire to speak with me?"

The witch smiled at him, a dark stretch of the lips that many had learned to be wary of. _"Hitsuzen, Ashura-ou, as all things are, and all things must be. There is no such thing as coincidence in this world." _Hitsuzen, fate and destiny but _oh, _not quite. Red strings that bound hands that sometimes did not know they swung in tandem, pulling limbs and eyes to meet across a crowded, messy world of woven lives meshed together by time and patience.

"Then I must insist," Ashura nodded briefly in acceptance of the other's words, "since apparently we both have need of one another at this non-coincidental time, that ladies must go first. What can the great Yuuko-san want with such a humble faerie as myself?"

"_I have a client," _Yuuko had never really been one for too much preamble, "_who has just recently been turned into a wolf."_

The faerie king's eyes darkened, a storm at sea, the vague smile he'd been sporting slipping and shattering into shards of ice. "They took Yuui." _Hitsuzen – _Yuui had been why he'd wished to speak with the witch.

"_Apparently so. I have reason to believe that he was removed with good intentions, however, so please still your ire." _Yuuko brushed a long piece of hair back from her face, quickly resuming her professional tone. _"Your magic has not increased at all since the last time someone encountered your curse, has it, Ashura-ou?"_

"It has not." Her companion's reply was brittle, the faerie clearly still angry at the one who had stolen away one of his charges. "So I am unable to restore the wolf to their original form – not that I would, anyway. Your client is a thief."

Yuuko completely ignored the latter comments. _"The curse you laid upon Yuui's resting place requires a spell stronger than it for it to be countered – and yet you used the limit of your magic in the curse. Breaking it would require a stronger magician than yourself…Fai."_

"The boy is not so very much stronger than myself." Ashura shot down the suggestion.

"_Because he locked most of his power away, and yet even the amount he kept has been steadily growing, day by day."_

Ashura's mouth was thin, displeased. "Leave the child out of this."

Again, Yuuko ignored what did not suit her. _"You wished once, to make them smile."_

"And left my Court, as you bid me, and most of my magic, to raise them. It was a wasted wish."

"_Had you not made that wish you would be insane, and those children dead."_ Yuuko's voice was cool. _"It was hitsuzen, a fact you know as well as I. Do not doubt it now."_

"I made that wish because you told me the price to make them actually _happy _was too high." Ashura sighed, folding his arms across his chest.

"_No,"_ Yuuko gently corrected, _"I told you the price for _you_ to make them happy was too high. There is, however, a way for those children to reach a happiness for themselves…"_

Ashura smiled, wry. "And what would the price be for this way?"

"_How well you know me."_

"Answer me."

"_Fai."_ Yuuko's reply was abrupt. _"Your price would be that boy to never truly live under your roof again, taken from your protection to live his own way."_

Slowly, Ashura shook his head. "That is a price that would cost Fai as well as myself. I refuse to place another burden upon that child." And his own attachment to the child -

"_Even if he took that burden upon himself, for the price of his most burning wish? Have him come to me, to my island, to wish for his brother. To wish for Yuui, awake and well."_

"You told me that wish was impossible!"

"_Circumstances will change."_ Yuuko's tone was clipped_. "_Now_, send that boy to me, before evening falls. Or is your wish such a fleeting dream after all?"_

Ashura would've retorted something in anger, but the witch had already closed the connection between them. Magic fell apart in the palm of the faerie's hand, words falling to nothingness and dust. In the library Fai slept on, unaware of his future changing, past and present and potential swirling and jumbled and unravelling like a spool of black ribbon across the floor.

'_Hitsuzen', _indeed.


	3. Witches And Their Ways

**Shadow: **Yuui and Fai's 'once upon a time' sections always seem to be stupidly long compared to everyone else…and Xing Huo just _isn't _Xing Huo. (The OOC-ness knows no bounds.) But _someone _had to do her role, and everyone else seems to have been booked up. *pulls face*

_**Warnings: **S__honen-ai_, boy x boy. If you don't like it, and read it anyway, please don't waste your time complaining. There will also probably be _spoilers_ for the latest chapters of XxxHolic and Tsubasa at various points, and general magic, violence, woe, and the potential of bloody mayhem in the future. Just so you know.

**

* * *

**

Ever After

**_Chapter III: Witches And Their Ways_**

_Once upon a time, a pretty long time ago, but before Valeria fell to ruin, two twins born of the Royal House were abandoned in the enchanted forest that bordered the edge of the kingdom of snow. They were ten when they were left amongst the morning mists cloaking the trees, blond hair catching and setting alight the first glow of the sun as it rose above the mountains far, far to the east._

_They were children, true, in age, but in mind were wiser than many adults. Twins born to a kingdom that despised twins, raised by a people that hated them and wished them dead. Their childhood had been stolen from them in dribs and drabs of hushed poison, and the dagger had been driven in as they were whisked out one night into the harsh cold of the forest. Valeria was too _pure _to slay a child, too _gentle _to see death before its eyes, and so the twins were taken far away to die in the shadows where hypocrisy didn't have to see them._

"_Fai…" Yuui was the youngest of the two, the most confused about the situation, clutching onto his brother's hand. Yuui had been sleeping in his bed when Valeria's King, their uncle, had ordered them to be taken to their deaths – only Fai had heard the pronouncement of their fates. Fai had heard, and Fai then had to tell his brother. _

"_Yuui -" Looking into a mirror of himself, Fai couldn't speak, so Yuui read the tale in the dusky shadows beneath too-bright eyes, in the tremble of soft lips and hands. The youngest twin hugged his brother, tightly, tightly, warmth in the cold forest. The story had no need of further words._

"_Sleep," said Yuui, pulling his twin down into the moss, so Fai reluctantly slept, and Yuui kept vigil until the morning came on proper and the mist had faded away._

_When Fai finally awoke the two twins set about trying to find their way out of the forest. Although they determinedly attempted to keep walking in a straight line (and so eventually find one edge of the woods) the forest itself seemed against them, obstacles placed in their path leading them astray and turning them around and around so they had no real clue which way was which anymore. _

_Lights appeared sometimes, between the shadows in the trees, the sound of soft whispers playfully lilting around and overhead with no discernible cause. Yuui murmured it was the wind through the branches of the trees but his hand tightened in his brother's all the same – both twins knew the stories of the enchanted forest well. Eventually, sick of the teasing whispers and lights, Fai summoned up a bird made of blue and white fire, the heat from flaming wings searing as the creature sprung into the air with an unearthly shriek._

_There was a stunned hush. No more whispers came._

_The twins wandered some more, and Yuui stumbled, falling into a thick tangle of blackberry thorns. The brambles scratched his pale face and hands, snagging his hair as he twisted about to get free, his own blood and the blood of his brother sinking in through the thorns as Fai attempted to aid his release. Both were scratched and torn when Yuui finally came loose, breathing heavily._

_It was then they looked up and saw the house._

_Resting in the shade of an enormous tree all wound with ivy it stood, its back moulded with the gnarled bark. It was a strange shape, both being made of and curving amongst the tree's many roots, walls made of dark woods that blended in well with the shadow. _

_Fai and Yuui stared at the house, having never seen anything like it before in their lives. _

_Yuui tugged on his brother's arm, motioning to the abode. "Maybe whoever lives there will know some place where we could go?" Neither twin had allusions of returning to Valeria._

_Fai was hesitant. "We don't know who – or _what – _lives there." Messy curls hung over his face, childish fear shadowing his eyes._

"_We won't find out if we don't knock."_

_They debated together, for a long while. Neither twin had truly done something so momentous without the other's consent before, and so they lingered, passing back and forth their reasons. They both quite missed the door to the strange house opening._

"…_Children?" It was a woman's voice that spoke, sounding confused. "Children, what are you doing here amongst the trees?"_

_Fai and Yuui looked up, startled from their conversation, catching sight of the one who had spoken._

_It _was _a woman, pale of skin and somewhat sharp of face, with dark eyes and dark, curling hair all around her face. Her dress was just as dark as her hair, a layer of frill about her legs, bodice tight and flattering. It was a strange fashion for the twins to see, but stranger yet for them to truly find another human amongst the woods._

_Fai and Yuui looked at her dumbly for a few seconds. The woman looked back expectantly._

"…_We're lost," Fai finally half-admitted, neglecting entirely to attach any sort of back-story to his words. "Could you point us the way out of the forest?"_

"_How long have you been lost?" The woman's dark eyes raked across the thorn-torn forms, face devoid of any emotion._

"_Since yesterday." Another half-truth, half-lie. Yuui glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eyes, a little worried by his twin's ability to tread the thin line of grey with such ease._

"_Have you eaten since then?"_

_The rumble of the twins' stomachs answered her question._

_The two boys went inside the strange tree-house in the shadows when invited, sitting a little awkwardly in the twisted rooms they found, swinging their legs back and forth on slightly too-large chairs. Their hostess fed them odd, hot foods that Fai drowned in honey and jam, stirring in milk amongst thick cream and oats and purring contentedly. Yuui sweetened his concoction too, though nowhere near his brother's excess. _

_It made them tired, the food. Although he'd slept earlier in the day Fai found himself nodding off over his meal, slumping in his seat as his lashes fluttered, thick warmth stealing up from his stomach and filling his thin form. Yuui followed swiftly on his heels, both twins sliding into sleep at the table they'd ate at._

_When they awoke, it was on clean sheets, curled together on a large bed in their undershirts. Their exterior clothing was at the foot of their bed, mended from the scratches of the blackberry thorns, and their hostess was waiting for them when they went down the stairs they found themselves at the top of, more food in hand. It was evening and the lights in the crooked house were on, and the three ate together. Their hostess told them her name – Xing Huo._

_Somehow or other, the twins found themselves staying with the strange woman. Xing Huo never demanded anything of them; she let them out to play, fed them, gave them new clothes… She didn't speak much, although Fai swore he'd heard her talking to someone in her room at night, but Yuui had laughed and said there was no-one else for her to talk to. Fai had wanted to go check her room just to see, but her room was the one place Xing Huo had forbidden the children to go. She was creating something special in there, she'd told them, but refused to say what. When Fai pestered her with questions she gave them sweet cakes, and somehow or other both twins would forget their train of thought entirely, and let the matter drop._

_About six months into their stay with Xing Huo, the whispers started up in the woods one day, when the twins wandered a little further from their hostess' house than they usually did. Yuui, mimicking what his brother had done half a year previously, summoned up a shrieking phoenix to cast into the air, but Fai frowned when he saw his twin's creation, shading his eyes to look up at the swooping bird._

"_That's not as bright as mine was."_

_Yuui argued against this statement strongly so Fai summoned up his own phoenix to demonstrate, only to discover his bird was just the same as Yuui's._

_Yuui had crowed, on their way home, that Fai's memories were getting worse with age._

_Fai had frowned, quiet to himself, insistent both their birds should have been brighter._

_Xing Huo, when they came in, gave them more treats and both twins fell asleep at the table. (They had the odd tendency to do that at night – Xing Huo said it was the fault of the forest; it exhausted everyone more than it should have done.)_

_Fai woke up sometimes, during the night. (Yuui never did.) The house they lived in became an even weirder place after dark, and Fai got the impression it was something he was never supposed to see, his mind crying at him to sleep as he tried to rise from the oh-so-welcoming bed Xing Huo had given his sibling and he._

_One such night, Fai awoke to hear talking coming from Xing Huo's room. He snuck out of bed – defying the sleep that clung to the corners of his thoughts, spidersilk trying to bind him in the darkness -, creeping to the woman's door and peering around it. It was slightly open – only slightly -, but it had always been completely shut before. _

"_And today's amount?" That was a _man's _voice. Fai smothered his surprise, craning to see who it was that was speaking – but failed, miserably, only able to see Xing Huo's profile, the woman stretching out a gloved hand to someone (or something) in response._

"_Here." A beautiful sapphire blue gem twirled lazily in the air above Xing Huo's palm, the shade of the summer sky, forget-me-not flowers. The colour made Fai smile, reminding him of his brother's eyes, the sparkle running across the stone's surface the trace of laughter common to both Yuui and he._

_A thick hand reached out, and took the gem. "Another powerful collection."_

_Xing Huo smiled, her usual distant coldness. "The boys are growing – they seem to be an endless supply." Fai frowned. 'Boys'? But – "What need have they of this excess? They gain more power day by day, and would waste it on chasing away the fey of the forest."_

_Realisation hit Fai then, a cold icicle rammed straight into his abdomen and sending its arctic chill throughout his body. Then that meant that that gem was –_

"_How long will you keep them?" The man seemed amused._

"_As long as you have need of them."_

_Their conversation ended. Fai ran back to his bed, shivering, and crept closer to his brother, trying to warm his heart. Yuui murmured in his sleep, but moved accommodatingly to accept Fai's chill against his own frame. Fai shuddered against him, wide awake, unable to sleep._

_That witch was stealing their _magic.

_About a year into their stay with Xing Huo the witch – for that was what she _was, _after all – left the door to her room ajar slightly, as she went out into the forest to gather some fruits or vegetables or herbs or _something. _Fai had seen the door on his way out of the house with his twin; after checking Xing Huo was nowhere in sight he'd snuck back into the abode with his frantic brother at his side, pulling Yuui into the forbidden room with him. _

_The first thing that caught Fai's attention was the _mirror. _It was a massive, circular thing, easily twice his height at its diameter. It sparkled in the light coming into the room through the window, sunlight picking out the strange looping runes inscribed in the metal casing around the glass' circumference. _

_The first thing that caught Yuui's attention was the wall of _blue _to the side, various hues of the colour caught and stopped in looping, twisting cases, dripping, whirling through strange tubes as lazy sparks went with them._

"_Is that-?" Yuui was entranced, horror-struck, a mixture of confusion and shock. Fai had never told him what Xing Huo had been doing, but Yuui seemed to recognise the blue stuff for what it was at once. "How has she been-?"_

_Fai hadn't actually figured that out – he didn't _want _to know. The witch probably did something whilst they were sleeping – she had to put drugs or magic or something in their food to keep them so malleable. "She gave it to a man in the mirror." Fai pointed to the glass, instinctively knowing he was right. That was the direction he'd seen Xing Huo speaking in all those nights ago, and the mirror just felt _weird_._

_Yuui didn't ask how his twin knew; he just nodded, fixing his eyes upon the mirror, pretending not to see the somewhat lost expression on Fai's face. "How much did they take?"_

"_I don't know." Fai's tone was meek._

"_How long's she been taking it?"_

"_I don't know." Meekness slid into bitterness, Yuui twisting his head around, slightly astonished, seeing his brother's face twist into hurt anger. Xing Huo had hurt them – made them think she'd liked them, when all along she'd been using them to get their magic –_

"_Fai-!" Yuui didn't know where Fai had summoned the lump of ice that was in his hands, water dripping from where the cold met warm skin, falling in thick droplets on the floor. Yuui didn't know where the ice had come from, didn't ask, just saw his brother's face move into such _fury –

_Ice glittered as it flew through the air, fuelled by rage and stupidly strong magic. The mirror smashed in a dreadfully loud crash, shards of glass flying everywhere, Yuui raising a hand to shelter his eyes from deadly spears of mirror. _

_Fai stood there on that day, glaring down at the broken mirror, a few pathetic pieces still clinging to the casing. The sun shone in and caught the hair and eyes of the vengeful angel, the little child who was then eleven. He bent down amongst the shards at his feet, rising with a long, sharp piece to twist in his hands. _

"_What have you done?!" It was the first time Fai and Yuui had ever heard Xing Huo raise her voice, tone somehow colder than it had even been lips thin and angry. Her large eyes were blacker than the night, and she was glaring murder at Fai. And then she dove forwards, a flurry of black curls and black midnight fury and –_

_The witch was dark; the prince was pale, and the mirror-mirror shard glittered beautifully in the sunlight until all was crimson red and black as Xing Huo gaped, mouth opening and closing, shard buried firmly in her chest._

"_I -" Fai looked horrified by what he'd done, hands shaking as he stared at the scarlet decorating his fingers, the mirror's edge biting into his own skin. "I -"_

_Xing Huo looked down at herself, mouth eventually thinning once more. "…You've killed me."_

_Fai trembled. "I – I – I didn't mean -" Even if she had – she'd just rushed him and – he'd lifted and – then there'd been red, red, _red – _oh it was everywhere –_

"_I curse you, little murderer." Xing Huo reached out to touch his forehead and Fai flinched, but somehow couldn't draw away, his hands still clasped tightly to the shard that was killing the witch. "I curse you where it will hurt you the most – your brother."_

"No!" _Fai stopped his shaking at that, head snapping up and eyes wide, wild. _

"_Yes," Xing Huo insisted, looking at the boy who'd killed her, ignoring the other horror-bound twin in the room. Yuui was frozen in shock, anyway – he couldn't do anything. "He will grow older with you, and sicker, day by day. Before either of you see your twentieth mortal year he will be dead, and you will be unable to heal him. To heal anyone, ever again, for all your magic. You'll be the death of him."_

"_No!" Fai could do little else but repeat the word. "Take it back! Take it _back!"

_Xing Huo _smiled _– and then slumped forwards, dead. The weight hit Fai suddenly, the blond boy stumbling under the corpse and falling to his knees before shoving it to the side, hands slick with blood. He stared, despairingly, at the wall. _

_Yuui finally regained movement, seeing his twin fall, dashing forward to drape himself around Fai, trying to focus his blank-eyed brother on him. "Fai – _Fai!"

_Fai sunk against him, shaking, hands leaving red smears on Yuui's clothes as he clutched at his sibling, closer, closer, twin hearts beating as one. He could feel Xing Huo's curse in Yuui already, a black shadow, and he tried to push his magic towards it but – nothing. Nothing. The magic would not move, _could _not move. The curse of the misfortunate twins._

_Slowly, silently, Fai began to cry. Salt and blood dripped on the floor, unforgiving. Yuui held his brother tighter. The world moved on._

* * *

One of the many talents Watanuki Kimihiro did not possess was an aptitude for singing. It had never really bothered the boy before – he could hum a tune to himself perfectly alright, and he'd never really aspired to doing great performances on-stage anyway. Yuuko, Watanuki's 'employer' (evil slave-master, in the youth's own opinion), didn't mind the slightly off-key tunes as long as they weren't being warbled out when she had a hangover, and so Watanuki could often be found humming to himself as he worked in the kitchen. (Singing was reserved for thoughts of Himawari, and Maru and Moro usually plugged up their ears about that point or started singing something louder about their mistress or love.)

Today was one such day Watanuki was humming; in a good mood because of the afternoon sunshine and the prospect of seeing his beloved Himawari-chan. (She really was a very cute girl.) He was busy making inarizushi for the bentou he was going to take, stuffing a selection of carefully-selected toppings into small pouches of hand-fried tofu before setting the finished pieces in the prettiest bentou box he'd been able to find.

"Nothing but the best for Himawari-chan~!" His long spoon was waved in the air with glee, as if defying the gods to offer anything less than absolute wonderment and glory on his crush.

Watanuki was, in fact, so taken with waving his spoon around and imagining Himawari's face when he gave her the bentou that he completely missed the small black paw sneaking the cooked inarizushi out of its place in the bentou box, and the happy scoffing sounds that followed straight after.

Watanuki, having finished his cooking, finally finished his spoon-waving flight-of-fancy, turning the oven off before him and going to pick up the inarizushi - only to find the whole box empty.

The youth gaped for a few seconds, bewildered. "But I -"

A black paw suddenly reached into the boy's line of sight, feeling around the empty bentou box for more sushi. Finding none forthcoming Mokona blinked up at the stunned chef from his position on the kitchen countertop. "Watanuki, make _moooore. _Mokona wants more tasty treats!"

Watanuki naturally exploded. _"Those were for Himawari-chan!" _The blue-eyed teen swiped for the little black creature, Mokona leaping out of the way with a wail.

"But Mokona was _hungry!"_

"_You're _always _hungry!"_

"_Wah, wah – Watanuki's _mean!"

Across the hallway and down from the insanity in the kitchen of Yuuko's shop and home the witch herself lounged, draped across her couch as she entertained Syaoran once more. Both woman and boy ignored the shrieking, wails and general chaos happening elsewhere in the house (although Syaoran did spare an idle thought to wondering how Yuuko still _had _a house standing if Watanuki always created such pandemonium when wound up – the crashes coming from the kitchen were ominous), Syaoran seated on a cushion before the witch, amber eyes looking up determinedly at Yuuko through the haze of smoke her opium had left in the room.

"So," Yuuko set her pipe down on a side-table, the piece making a quiet _clack _as it came into contact with the dark wood, "your price."

"I will do whatever it takes to save Sakura-hime." Syaoran's eyes had lost none of their fire since that morning – the flames seemed, in fact, to burn brighter, anticipating whatever hardships were to come.

"I have three items in need of retrieval," Yuuko said, meeting the boy's gaze head-on. "You will enter into my general service until such a time as they are returned to my person; that will be your price. Will you still make your wish?"

"Yes." Syaoran didn't need to think about it – he would do anything for Sakura.

"Then your first job can be one for the shop…" Yuuko rose from her lounging, moving into a more upright position, hands in her lap. "Row across the lake in the boat Maru and Moro brought you in on and bring back the customer who is waiting there."

Syaoran frowned, perplexed. "How do you-?"

Yuuko looked at him.

"…I'll be back shortly." Syaoran left.

* * *

Fai tilted his face up to the sky, feeling the sun on his cheeks, the breeze playing with his hair and white cloak. He actually had very little idea what he was doing there; Ashura-ou had woken him from his rest, spoken rather quickly of a witch who granted wishes who could help with Fai's problems if Fai were willing to pay the equivalent price –

Ashura had never mentioned a wish-granting wish before that morning. It surely would've made more sense for the faerie to mention this 'Yuuko' before then – Yuui had been asleep for years…decades…_centuries, _though Fai had long since given up on trying to exactly follow time. The world spun on around him and he remained un-aging, undying. After a while, time lost its concept. There was just pain, and hurt, and Yuui fast, fast asleep. (Fast, fast asleep and gone, and Fai didn't know where he was. Didn't know if Ashura's curse had taken effect – whatever its effects were.)

"…Are you here to see Yuuko-san?"

Fai looked down from the sky, startled from his thoughts, meeting the gaze of a young brunet standing upright in a boat that had landed on his edge of the lakeshore. "Indeed I am." He smiled, and the boy visibly relaxed. "Yuuko-san is expecting me?"

"I'm here to take you to see her." Fai didn't ask how it was the witch knew he was there, breezing forwards instead to clamber into the boy's boat, taking a seat as his little guide picked up the oars and started rowing them back across the lake to the island from which he'd come.

"You've served Yuuko-san long?" Fai didn't quite know why he was engaging in conversation with the boy – only the child just looked so _serious._

A faint wash of pink touched the brunet's cheeks. "I've only been technically serving her for about ten minutes."

"Oh?" Fai smiled again, but there was no pressure in his question. It made sense that a witch capable of granting wishes would get an assortment of customers; what was it to Fai if one or two had came not that long before he himself? "Then I hope you enjoy your work…" He trailed off.

"Syaoran," the boy supplied.

"Syaoran-kun," Fai finished. "I'm sure it will be an interesting experience."

The brunet perked up a little, the boat reaching the witch's island and coming to drift alongside a small pier there. Syaoran hopped out to tether the craft, looking down at the blond still in the boat. "You've visited Yuuko-san before?"

"Ah, no." Fai moved out onto the pier as well, glancing around himself for the entrance to the shop Ashura-ou had told him of. "This is my first time."

"Oh." His companion deflated a bit, moving to lead the way when it became clear the blond really did have no true idea of where he was going. "It's this way."

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun." Syaoran was quickly becoming accustomed to the stranger's smile, the older male tilting his head to the side and beaming almost brightly enough to match the memory of Sakura in the boy's mind. Sakura had had a wonderful smile too, the last time he'd seen her. A _perfect _smile, that didn't leave a vague sense of disquiet like this man's did –

"…You never told me your name."

"Fai D. Fluorite," a sweeping bow, (someone didn't smile if they was something wrong though, did they?) the blond practically _glowing _in the afternoon sunlight with his white skin and white clothes, "please pardon my atrocious manners."

'Atrocious manners'? Fai D. Fluorite spoke like Sakura-hime did, like he'd been born and bred as a member of high Court. He rose from his bow with easy grace, comfortable with his pose and Syaoran glanced aside, not wanting to be caught staring. There was just something a little bit…_off –_

"The Mistress is waiting." Maru and Moro stood waiting at the front doors of the shop, their eyes the blankest that Syaoran had ever seen them as they spoke scarily in synch, unusually calm as they gazed at Fai coming up the path behind Yuuko's newest assistant.

"Is she now?" Fai stepped in front of the boy and offered one hand to each of the girls, Maru and Moro immediately latching on and looking up at the guest with solemn eyes. "Would you please kindly lead me to her then? It's not good to keep a lady waiting."

The twins did as bid, dragging Fai off without a backward glance. Syaoran followed them in, and carefully shut the front door behind them. Unsure of what else to do he headed for the kitchen, where Watanuki was clattering away to himself, Mokona having apparently scuttled to safety when the irate chef-servant-slave threw a pan at him (at least, that was what Mokona pouted to himself as he sat inside Yuuko's favourite vase in the hallway. Syaoran just side-stepped the talking vase and went to fetch a mop to clean up the mess the chaos of before had no doubt left behind).

* * *

"Kurogane, even as a wolf I can tell you're scowling at me."

Said wolf growled lowly in the back of his throat, refusing to rise from where he was crouched near the ground outside Tomoyo-hime's music-room, red eyes fixed pointedly on the smirking Souma sat opposite him. The princess' voice floated between them, lovely as always, but the melody completely failed to soothe Kurogane in any way. He was hot; he was uncomfortable, and that damn Souma kept laughing at him none-too-discreetly behind her hand. Had Kurogane actually _had _a hand of his own right then – instead of a set of four rather irritating paws – he would've grabbed one of his fellow shinobi's twin moon blades and used it to pin the woman in place somewhere far, _far _away – as it was, he was forced to sit and glare at her pointedly, and get accused of scowling. Like she could tell he was scowling, anyway. Stupid Souma.

Kurogane missed his opposable thumbs. Where was that stupid witch when you needed her?

* * *

Having lived in the middle of an enchanted forest abandoned by most of human civilisation for the stupidly large majority of his (almost equally) stupidly long life, Fai D Fluorite had not seen really enough representatives of the female half of the population to be at all proportional to his years. (And the female _faeries _had steered clear of him as well – Fai had the distinct feeling Ashura-ou had had something to do with that, but the point had never been raised as more than an idle mention.) And yet, still, the man-boy-youth-ageless wonder was ever utterly charming, knowing just what to do and say to whatever race or sex he came across. Sweeping into the room where Yuuko sat, Queen in state, he bowed so low even the witch had to absently wonder for a few seconds if it were physically possible for one of wholly human stock to be so _elegant, _the woman eventually passing the thing off as too much time beneath the trees, the fey influence.

"My lady~," there was a pleasing lilt in the prince's voice when he spoke, Yuuko noted, and a glitter of blue eyes from beneath his golden fringe. The child clearly liked putting on a show, playing for an audience, and who was Yuuko but to oblige? It was so dreadfully hard to find good players like herself, and Fai seemed someone she could easily bond with before putting him on his way.

"Fluorite-san," Yuuko didn't even bother to pretend she didn't know of the blond before her, summoning up every trace of her imperiousness to do a fitting match to her customer and guest – she had a reputation to maintain, after all. (She knew Watanuki would say '_elevate', _as he thought her reputation really couldn't get any _worse, _but ah – Watanuki was always so fun to torment.) "You're late."

"My deepest apologies, my lady Yuuko-san," Fai straightened, hands clasped behind his back as he adopted the traditional pose of a repentant schoolboy (had the boy ever even been in school?), but his eyes were still laughter-bright, his mouth skilfully drawn down into a look of tragically-feigned woe. "It was my pet cat you see. She got stuck up a tree."

"A tree?" Yuuko only raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," a sage nod in reply. "A very big tree. So I felt deeply inclined to climb up after her – with supplies of course, in case I got hungry partway up. And then we had to _eat _the snacks before we could even possibly think about climbing down again, and then Chii needed a good snuggle when we reached the ground to help her deal with the trauma."

"It does sound very traumatic."

"And then I came _straight here." _Fai finished his words with another flourish of gleefully insincere pride, and Yuuko found herself in no great hurry to sit and work out whether the mage had just pulled that story from the afternoon air around him on a whim or whether he was actually being serious - it didn't particularly matter.

"What an eventful day you've had, Fai-san." Yuuko dropped some of her majesty, lounging back in her seat a little more with a lazy cross of her legs. The blond smiled sweetly at her – fake, but definitely sweet – for the shift of name, a nod to the familiarity even though they'd just – physically – met. (Fai, as a fellow magic user, would've been able to have _felt_ her in the universal ether from the moment of his and his twin's conception, repressed as the child had tried to make his abilities for the largest part of his enchanted life. To live in frozen time, with frozen grief -)

"Here to make it even more eventful I hope, Yuuko-san." The laughter died, trickling away through cracks in the air and time, and _my, _didn't the children look solemn without their smiles painted on their faces? It twisted something sharp and bittersweet inside the heart and mind, stronger than any sake one downed to try and drown the burn. "I have a wish, and you were the good lady I was advised to come to with it."

"That's what I'm here for." Yuuko really wanted a drink, preferably of the alcoholic kind.

"I want -" Fai paused, words choking his throat as his body stilled and his breath caught, and then they all came tumbling out as he strode forwards, trembling a little as he looked down at the seated witch. "I want to make Yuui better – I want him well and awake and beside me and _not _ill and _not _cursed because I -" he faltered and then stopped completely, unable to go on, his hands shaking slightly at his sides, clenched tightly into fists. Forced to wish, as he was unable to heal himself…

Yuuko regarded him, her face a porcelain mask. "You cannot afford the price to break the curse." When Fai looked like she was going to interrupt she held up a hand, silencing the blond's protest before it had even begun. "You _can, _however, afford to pay for the _opportunity _to break the curse yourself, though it will be a long and painful process."

Fai laughed, more than a little bitterly, and sunk to his knees beside the witch's couch. "Yuuko-san, time stopped holding any true relevance to me a good many centuries back." He made no mention of the pain. The pain was prerequisite.

Yuuko touched a hand to the top of his head, a calming gesture. "The price of opportunity is time – a year, when trying to be exact, a little longer, perhaps, when the future changes. To leave your home and live with another I have in mind, bonded. Together, your prices should be enough to achieve your wishes."

"'Bonded'?" Fai tilted his head up to look at the witch, and Yuuko could see how it was someone could grow so attached to him.

"Marriage," she said firmly.

"_Engagement," _Fai returned a few heartbeats later, looking somewhat traumatised by the issue at all. To someone as fancy-free as the lost prince, it was probably a sentence worse than death. "Surely actual marriage is unnecessary?"

"An engagement would be sufficient, true," it was the vow – or even the promise of a vow – that would aid the children with their wishes, not the state of actually being wed. Yuuko allowed a small smile to shine through her features, a trace of her usual brand of 'evil' (as Watanuki called it), "but you'd make such a pretty bride, Fai-san!"

"Engagement," Fai repeated, though his smile had returned. "And I'll make the wish."

"Don't you want to know who your fiancé will be first?"

"I don't care."

"Very well." Yuuko's own smile was full-blown, content and inwardly cackling. Although it was the only way to get things done as they ought to be done it was still probably the most _amusing _way as well – Tomoyo-hime was going to squeal like there was no tomorrow when Yuuko announced the price. "I'll fetch him first thing in the morning."

Fai didn't bat a lash at the male pronoun – and why would he, considering what most of the fey whispered about him and Ashura-ou in the Court both were absent from? Fai _did, _however, look up at the mention of time. "He can't be brought by tonight?" His companion shook her head. "…Yuuko-san, what would be the price for bed and board here, in your illustrious establishment?"

The witch didn't miss a beat, quick to return their conversation to the jest it had been before. "Nought but your good company and a kiss for your charming hostess, of course," Yuuko was all play once more, extending a hand ever-so-graciously towards her blond guest. It wasn't every day one entertained royalty, after all, estranged as they may be.

Fai took it with a nod and raised it to his lips – and then paused, smile spreading over his face, using the proffered limb instead to tug himself the length of the witch's arm and press a swift, teasing kiss on Yuuko's cheek instead.

"My lady~" he stepped back and swept a courteous bow, relishing the somewhat stunned delight on Yuuko's face.

The witch smiled, gently tapping the youth before her on the arm with her fan for his mischief. "Flirt." Not that she had any complaints, particularly. Pretty young men could randomly kiss her all they wanted.

Fai's own glittering eyes would have been better suited for the devil, shadowed by the bangs of his wispy golden hair. "Only ever to the pretty ones, my lady."

The doors to the room slid open and Watanuki slipped through – Yuuko really have to sort out the child's habit of eavesdropping on conversations with customers. Maru and Moro were picking up bad habits, and they were such _impressionable _little girls.

"_Watanuki-kun~," _Yuuko saved the light scolding for later, trilling out her employee's name instead. "Fai-san's going to be spending the night here tonight. Make sure he's looked after properly."

"You accepted payment for my hard work again, didn't you," Fai bit his lip hard to quell the sudden laughter that threatened to bubble out of him at the image the boy Yuuko had called 'Watanuki' suddenly called up, the apron-clad youth sticking his hands on his hips and fussing beautifully, much like the old hens Chii liked to play with in the back-garden.

Yuuko _grinned, _suddenly aware that maybe her little employee hadn't been paying as much attention as he usually did when he'd been eavesdropping at her door, looking down most wickedly at Fai on the floor. "Watanuki wants payment!" She gasped, managing to feign shock quite well as she fanned her face. "I never knew he had it in him, Fai-san. I must apologise; it's so terribly _forward_ of him."

"'Forward'?" Watanuki's expression took on the guarded look that the wary worldwide adopted when realising they'd just said something they probably shouldn't have.

"He's a bit young for my tastes, Yuuko-san…" Fai looked up at the boy, and Watanuki had the sudden impression of twin demons baying for his blood – a wicked witch and her devil-spawned assistant. "But if he _insists~"_

"_I don't insist!" _Watanuki flailed, back-stepping when the blond visitor rose from the floor and approached him. "Really! No insisting!" He had no idea what he was insisting he wasn't insisting about – but it involved _Yuuko. _Nothing involving Yuuko was ever a good thing.

"Aw~" Yuuko cooed, "Watanuki's shy!"

"_I'm _not _shy!" _Watanuki's back hit the door, and Fai was still approaching. Like lightning he'd slid the exit open, slipping back out and turning tail to run away as fast as he could. "_I'm going to take the bentou to Himawari-chan!"_

Yuuko laughed as her assistant fled, Fai smiling ruefully and returning to the witch's side. The woman petted him again, before leaning over the side of her couch to produce two bottles she'd been hiding there – sake. Her emergency provisions (for when Watanuki had left the building). She gave one to her guest, before uncorking the other and raising the bottle in toast.

"To the future."

"To the future," Fai more absently echoed, and took his seat once more. It was a lot to think on.

* * *

**AN: **I just…really don't know. Really. ^^;; Fai ran away with this chapter from the start, and then he started talking about his pet cat and Yuuko chimed in and…*flails* Stupid important chapters fling my 6/7 page limit straight out of the window… *mutter* I've split what was originally here into two – mostly because I didn't want this chapter so much _longer _than all the others. Apologies for the lack of Kuro-wanko; his bit's in the next chapter.

On a side-note: There are only about three points in this chapter that are unimportant to the plot ahead. (One of those points is about the cat.)

On a further side-note: Updates to this story always go via my LJ and the kuroxfai comm first - chapter seven's up there right now, and I'm generally more responsive there right now. (Link is my homepage on my profile, if you want it.)


	4. Secrets

**Shadow: **I think I love Mokona. ^^

_**Warnings: **S__honen-ai_, boy x boy. If you don't like it, and read it anyway, please don't waste your time complaining. There will also probably be _spoilers_ for the latest chapters of XxxHolic and Tsubasa at various points, and general magic, violence, woe, and the potential of bloody mayhem in the future. Just so you know.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter IV: Secrets_**

_Once upon a time, a decent enough amount of time ago – let's say nine years, as that's an interesting number –, there was a country called Nihon, built upon the ruins of a country called Valeria. It was a prosperous, pretty country that saw all seasons, but was occasionally troubled by strange creatures – _demons, oni – _that stole in from the enchanted woods and the sea that bordered the land. Nobody knew where they had come from originally or why they came – they only knew that they _did _come, and they killed many when they did. The provinces nearest the sea and the forest were given to the strongest of nobles and warrior provinces sprung up, fiercely loyal to the capital Shirasagi._

_The territory of Suwa, which ran near the whole length of the forest's border with Nihon, was one such warrior province. The people of the region prided themselves on their prowess in battle, ruled over by their greatest warrior and lord Kurogane. He was a good man – just, firm and kind -, who tried to do his best by the people he watched over. His wife was the same, the lady miko who, although quite frail in health, had a will as strong as her husband's, and a beautiful smile. She maintained the barriers – kekkai - that stood against the oni who would ravage their home otherwise; her lord the one who slew the monsters that got through when her wellbeing faltered and she took to her bed, ill._

_They had a child together, a boy, Youou. He took after his father in so many ways – looks, manner, prowess with a sword -, vivacious and full of life. The lord's son's spirits were impossible to dampen for any extended period of time, the child forever climbing trees or swinging his training sword (wood, so he wouldn't actually _hurt _anyone with it), picked up by his father and swung playfully into the air as his mother looked lovingly on. _

_They were happy, almost blissfully so. The oni attacks in the area had been slowly decreasing, eventually fading away to nothing. Life in Suwa became peaceful, the lady-miko's barriers being maintained at an all-time low as the people had no need of any higher defence. Her health improved as the magic demanded of her became less taxing, her husband and son pleased to see the healthy glow in her skin instead of sickness' pallor. _

_In the year Youou turned thirteen the oni attacked again. _

_They came from the forest, rising from under the trees to shriek over Suwa's walls. They were terrifyingly strong, ripping through the lady-miko's first barrier and devastating a small village that lay close to the trees. The people living on the outermost edges of the province ran for the relative safety of the centre, their lady summoning up her greatest barrier to defend them as they fled. Her lord took out his sword, the legendary Ginryuu, and rode into battle with his men at his back, the blade blessed with the miko's gift, the man blessed with a kiss and wish for him to return home safely. _

_Youou watched them go, proud of his father, but a little confused. He'd wanted to fight the oni too, but his father had told him to stay home, to defend his mother. The lord rarely required Ginryuu being blessed; that was reserved for the strongest of foes, but his father had ridden off with smile and he was only going to be fighting a few stupid _oni –

_His mother collapsed. She was weary from holding such a high kekkai, coughing up blood, but still demanded to be taken to the stronghold's Inoriba, the Place of Prayer. The spiritual feeling there would help the miko focus her mind and her magic on the barrier. Although deeply worried the servants took their lady there, and sealed her in and they were bid. Youou took up watch outside, pensive, hands tightened into fists on his knees._

_The moon was waning that night, sickly as it hung, yellow, in the dark sky. The air was thick and heavy, cloying in the mouth. The scream from inside the Inoriba sliced through the still sharper than any blade in Suwa, twisting in Youou's gut as the boy jolted to his feet, diving for the sliding doors that stood between his mother and himself. _

_There was blood everywhere inside the place supposedly for peace and prayer. For a few stunned seconds Youou's mind stumbled around trying to work out how it was physically possible for one body to hold so much liquid inside of its frail skin, and then the horror struck him. His mother –_

_The youth concentrated only on the body of the fallen woman, rushing to clutch at his mother's hand, catch the dying glimmer in her eyes. If his feet crunched on the broken glass from the Inoriba's mirror he never spoke of it, occupied by the bleeding sword-wound in his mother's stomach. Blood bubbled and clung and Youou pleaded for the woman to hold onto life a bit longer, shrieking for the servants to aid him, to save her. "Mother – _mother!"

_The lady-miko could only smile at him, sad, silent, and then she died. The servants, arriving at a run to the Inoriba's doors gasped at the sight, and then they _screamed _as the kekkai protecting Suwa died with the lady-miko, oni forcing themselves through and advancing on the home. _

_Youou clutched at his dead mother, cradling the woman in his arms, glaring as the demons advanced. This – this wasn't a coincidence, and – _

_One of the oni carried Ginryuu in its mouth, the blade still clutched in the hand of its owner. The hand was missing a body to go with it, sword and limb meeting the ground with a sickening _thud _as the demon opened its mouth to let loose another shriek to the sky, ungodly triumph._

_Something inside of Youou _snapped_ then, breaking into a thousand and one pieces that could never be truly remade to form a solid whole ever again. The boy's red eyes reflected only blood, lit by the fires of the sick moon, of a soul driven past the end of sanity. Too much – there had been too much lost too quickly. Youou was only a child, only thirteen. Too _young.

_Morning came as it always does, soldiers arriving under Shirasagi's banner coloured by the light of the red dawn. They arrived at a smoking crater, Suwa in ruins, blood and ash, black and dead. There was no life, the sunrise picking out the tragic picture without feeling, shoving rude light into places that no light should ever have to reach._

_A boy sat amidst the ruins of the centre, the body of a dead woman in his arms, the sword curled in the shape of a silver dragon in his hand. He was covered in ash, eyes white with wildness and pain. When addressed by the proud woman at the head of Shirasagi's soldiers he attacked her with his father's sword, men and women crying outrage at the act, and the empress, Amaterasu – for who else could it be? - , decided to have the child forcibly restrained. It was clear he was out of his mind with grief. _

"_Don't." It was a little girl's voice that spoke from further back in the ranks, a small delicate hand that pushed aside the rich curtains sheltering her from the sight of Suwa's devastation. _

"_Tsukoyomi…" Amaterasu had not wished to bring her little sister into such a wasteland, but it had been the princess who had had the dream of Suwa's fate, the princess who had the gift of foresight. Tomoyo-hime, the princess-miko. _

_She was a tiny thing, drowning in her dress-robes, with wide eyes and long, curling hair. At seven, she was trusting, but she wasn't stupid. So when she quietly said, "let me," her sister, Kendappa-ou, reluctantly listened._

_Youou tried to attack her. The princess-miko stopped him with her magic, reaching the boy's side and kneeling there, long dress smudging the dirt and ruin beneath her. Sadly, she looked up at the crazed youth towering over her, at the beautiful dead woman in the boy's arms. The lady-miko of Suwa had been a lovely woman; it was such a pity she had to see the death of her home and son's sanity with such wide open eyes._

"_Come…" Tomoyo's voice was high with youth, lilting and sweet as the princess laid a hand over the lady-miko's eyes, sliding closed the lashes for the last time, "let's let your mother rest now."_

_Youou broke, curling in on himself, sobbing out what was left of his bruised and bleeding heart. Tomoyo went to him, holding him, and rocked him as she cast the charm that would lead him into dreamless sleep. _

_When Youou awoke later, much later, in Shirasagi, he was Kurogane. He swore to serve the princess-miko, Tomoyo, with his life, to become her shinobi, her warrior. His parents' memories were precious but he didn't dare to dwell on them too long, the strange circumstances behind their death sinking into the past as Kurogane tried to stop himself, slowly growing up, from drowning in the loss._

_In Shirasagi, it was noted that oni never came from the forest to attack Suwa again. Only the idiotic decided that that was because there was technically no Suwa left to attack. Suwa's fall had been for a _reason – _but surely, there was no reason to be found in such madness?_

* * *

The dress was red – form-fitting, figure-hugging, with a low-cut top and a high-cut hem, criss-crossed with bands of black that pushed _in _the waist and _up _the ample cleavage. Yuuko was a woman confident in her own sexuality, the rest of the world be damned, and Kurogane hate, hate, _hated _her ilk with their knowing gazes and wide, red-lipped smiles. (One could say he'd had too many bad experiences with beautiful women.)

"Yuuko-san!" Tomoyo's delight at seeing the older women was evident by the bright smile on the princess' face, the girl clasping her hands in her customary gesture when faced by something – in Tomoyo-hime's world – that was utterly _delightful._

Kurogane, impatiently pawing the beautiful marble beneath his feet, snorted at the sight of the witch through the portal, and looked aside.

"_I have the price for your wish."_

Kurogane looked back at that, his interest clearly caught. He didn't speak though, not yet. This was a deal between a miko and a witch, and Kurogane's mother had taught him quite well that one did not interfere when they could help it with mikos and witches. Female by their very name and nature, upsetting one of them could land people in very undesirable situations.

"Thank you for your quick reply!" Tomoyo's genuine happiness wasn't diminished at all by the black cloud lurking at her side – she'd known Kurogane far too long to let the shinobi's dour temper affect her own eternal sunshine.

Yuuko favoured the girl with a rare smile of her own, slight, but meaningful. _"There are stipulations to the wish, terms that must be matched and followed for its fulfilment on top of the original price."_

Kurogane snorted again. Trust a witch to add _conditions. _"Name them." His good graces – and resolve to avoid incurring witchy wrath – were quickly dying.

"_The spell to break your curse will take a year, during which time you will be obligated to leave Nihon and live in the forest with the mage responsible for the removal of your curse." _Kurogane let out a low growl, quiet rumbling thunder, disliking immensely the thought of being gone from his duties for a whole year. If it were necessary, however – _"You're also going to have to propose to him."_

"_WHAT?!" _Kurogane's roar of anger/confusion/absolute _fury _was drowned out by Tomoyo's squeal, the Tsukoyomi' hands clasped together (_again) _as her loyal shinobi swore he saw rampant stars glittering in her eyes.

"Kurogane's going to be getting _married!" _The little miko looked like she was either going to faint or explode in joy, the delicate chimes on her elaborate headdress ringing with her effusive movement. "I'll have to tell onee-chan and we'll organise a banquet – Yuuko-san _of course _you're invited -"

"_The hell she is!"_

" – And I'll get Souma-chan to see to some fireworks, and _oh!" _Tomoyo ran as close to the portal as she could possibly be, fixing pleading eyes on the amused witch on the other side. (Both women were completely ignoring the incensed Kurogane.) "I'll make the dresses! Yuuko-san, as guest of honour, you'll simply _have_ to have a complimentary furisode – I've got just the cloth, a lovely deep blue; it would look _wonderful _with your hair. Do you think mage-shi would suit white and gold? I'll have to make something _beautiful _for the new addition to Nihon – but _ah_, you'll have to get me his measurements!"

Yuuko smiled again, gentle, more than a little dismayed at having to so burst the other's precious dream-spun bubble. _"Whilst I'm sure Fluorite-san would look simply charming in one of your creations, Tomoyo-hime, I'm afraid their existence would be unnecessary. The spell to revert Kurogane to his human form requires only a bond between the mage and the cursed one, an engagement would be sufficient."_

Tomoyo _visibly _drooped. "Kurogane's not getting married?"

"_Not unless he wants to," _Yuuko sadly informed her. (A wedding would've really brightened up her day too, especially one between such a grumpy shinobi and whimsical prince.)

"_I don't want to." _It was really quite a good thing they weren't standing on expensive matting to have the conversation, else Kurogane's claws would've ripped the costly material to shreds.

"_As you wish." _Yuuko fought to hide her laughter, trying to continue on with details of the spell and curse. The children really were terribly alike, even if they seemed so different at first glance. She focused back on the wolf, uncaring of the gleaming teeth bared in her direction. _"Fluorite-san does not know he will be breaking your curse, Kurogane. His magic will wear away at the enchantment upon you unconsciously regardless of whether he knows you are cursed or not – and I advise strongly that you do not reveal the nature or the circumstances surrounding your curse to him in any way."_

"Why?" The question was blunt – Kurogane was a warrior and always would be a warrior, the witch's subtleties irritating to the way he did things.

"_You are cursed because you stole his brother from his resting place, by a hex that their guardian laid upon the crystal case." _That…was a little surprising. Not much, as it didn't take someone with a lot of intelligence to link the sleeping/enchanted boy Kurogane had carried from the forest to the curse Kurogane was currently suffering through, but _still. "Fluorite-san does not know the nature of the curse and does not really care to – he is still hurt by the loss of his sibling."_

The same lesson again: don't upset the person capable of turning you into a frog.

"A year is a long time, Yuuko-san…" Tomoyo, to her credit, had finally brought up the issue that had plagued Kurogane before. "Will Kurogane-san really be a wolf for that long?"

"_Yes and no, Tomoyo-hime." _Witches who managed to be both specific and vague at the same time worried Kurogane (not that he'd ever admit that, even under torture).

"Meaning _what, _witch?" He had no patience left; froggy futures could come as they pleased.

Yuuko smiled at him, the expression colder than the one favoured on Tomoyo and edged with dark amusement. _"From the day you first enter engagement, you will be a wolf for a year – during the day. When night falls you shall regain your human form - a bonus to being bound to such a strong magician -, but you cannot let another living eye see you as such. The curse upon you is a sentient one, and will become aware of itself should another's eyes inform it of you defying its laws. At the end of the year the curse will break entirely."_

Tomoyo looked worried. "Yuuko-san, what will the curse do if someone should see Kurogane as a human before the year is through?"

"…_I do not know, Tomoyo-hime. The hex was not of my crafting." _The witch was lying; Kurogane could see it in the slide of her red eyes. _"And now…the price."_

Some of the princess-miko's worry had faded, but the Tsukoyomi still looked serious. "You may have anything that is in my power to give, Yuuko-san."

Kurogane was…mildly touched at the proclamation, but hid it by turning aside for the third time during the conversation, unimpressed with Yuuko's timing. "Tch. Like I'm giving that witch anything."

The shinobi could _hear _the laughter echoing in Yuuko's response. _"Are you really going to allow your princess to pay the entirety of your price?"_

"Of course not!" Kurogane snapped, lips drawn back in an impressive snarl. (He rose to the bait every time, something that made him a delight to tease. Kurogane had yet to realise that was why the women of Shirasagi took such delight in tormenting him so.)

"_Very well."_ Yuuko smiled, and it was just a touch too indulgent for Kurogane's manly pride to stomach. He growled, lowly, but kept his tongue. _"From you, Tomoyo-hime, I will have your song, your ability to sing."_ The princess-miko was famed throughout the land for her beautiful singing voice.

The Tsukoyomi nodded. "Done."

"_And from _you_, shinobi…" _the witch looked back at the wolf, _"I will have Ginryuu."_

"No way in hell!" The vehement response was growled out.

"_What use have you of a sword, when you have no hands to bear it?"_ Yuuko seemed amused by the wolf's refusal.

The witch was not getting his sword. Kurogane was _very attached _to his sword. "It's mine."

"_It's part of the price for your wish."_

"You're not getting it."

"_Stay as a wolf then." _How did women always manage to pull off looking so _haughty? _Yuuko had Kurogane trapped between the proverbial rock and hard place, and neither side looked all that appealing.

"…_Fine." _The words were ground out between gleaming canines, the look in Kurogane's red eyes positively murderous. "I'll trade the sword." He couldn't remain as a wolf – he just _couldn't._

Yuuko smiled like she'd known that exactly what he'd say – but then again, she was a witch; she probably _had _known exactly what he'd say. Damn her. _"I'll call to collect the payment for your wish noon tomorrow." _She looked down, meeting Kurogane's gaze directly. _"Enjoy this night in Nihon; you won't be seeing your home for a long while." _And then she was gone, the portal falling to nothing in the blink of an eye.

Tomoyo looked pensive as she thought to herself and Kurogane couldn't quell the unceasing growl in his throat, fur bristling, uncomfortable. Yuuko's final words had rung with more than a touch of prophecy, more meaningful than the year outlined in the curse-breaking that was to come.

…_Damn_ the witch. Damn her to hell.

* * *

Syaoran contemplated the giant rock-face that was before him with a critical eye, suddenly extraordinarily grateful he wasn't afraid of heights. A large waterfall tumbled down the cliff to his left, liquid plummeting from the river above to smash down into the pool below, crashing into the rocks there in a mess of white foam and spray that drenched everything nearby in liquid. Syaoran, after having been there for ten minutes, had already been drenched though to his skin, his hair clumping together and sticking unpleasantly to his face. (The reason he was soaked afterwards though – that was for another reason entirely, much to his own displeasure.) His brown eyes were, however, still determined, set on the task ahead.

He had to get up the cliff. Yuuko had made that very clear when she'd told him of his first quest (sometime between Watanuki shrieking something and diving out of the shop and Yuuko abandoning her pretty blond guest to immerse herself in a discussion with another client via a magical portal), for the Ame-warashi he was trying to see was an antisocial creature and wouldn't come down for a _human. _She lived up there, in a sacred place that could only be accessed by climbing halfway up and going behind the waterfall – Syaoran had tried using his magic originally to lift him but some enchantment in the area had blasted him out of the air, sending him straight down into the pool at the waterfall's base. It was really quite a good thing he hadn't been that high up when he'd been thrown down – if he'd been too high the impact with the water could've killed him, or at least knocked him senseless long enough for him to drown.

But no – he'd lived. He'd risen with his magic, got blasted down by fey magic, and got very, _very _wet. And now he had to climb the cliff, because the Ame-warashi had something Yuuko wanted, and he, Li Syaoran, was duty-bound to get it.

(The boy supposed he should at least be thankful Yuuko wasn't making him wear an apron.)

* * *

The forest on the edge of Nihon was a beautiful place in the sunshine, although undoubtedly weird. No birds audibly chirped under the trees, and no animals visibly rustled in the undergrowth. They _existed, _Watanuki knew, as he'd asked Yuuko about it once (and been forced to make ichigo daifuku and sake as payment), but they kept always out of sight and out of hearing, the creatures wise to the rules of the kingdom under the leaves. Watanuki, although having lived under the trees in Yuuko's service for a few years, was still struggling to keep up.

Yuuko never let him be certain of his place. Every day with the witch was a new adventure, another round in the never-ending chaos of the shop on the island in the middle of the forest's lake. (Yuuko had never said just _why, _exactly, she'd established her shop on that island, and only gave vague answers whenever Watanuki attempted to pry. And then demanded more food. Pig-witch. She deserved to be fat. Even though she wasn't. Life hated Watanuki; it had long since been made official.)

But…at least…he was getting to see Himawari. As anyone who had ever come into contact with Watanuki Kimihiro after the boy's fateful first meeting with Himawari Kunogi could tell you, Watanuki had a _thing _for the pretty black-haired girl. A significantly large thing – with blossoms and flowers and music and _sparkles - _that was blindingly obvious to all but Himawari herself. At least, that was what most people-fey-things assumed. Yuuko only smiled in her usual mysterious way at the situation, and let things continue as they would.

Watanuki marched forward with a spring in his step – alright, so it was somewhat more of a _prance, _but it wasn't as if he particularly cared right then -, bentou tucked carefully into the bag over his shoulder. It was really the cheeriness of his movement that alerted him to the fact he felt a little lighter than usual – and then he realised the reason why; he'd left Mokona back at the shop. Watanuki had no doubt Yuuko would give him her version of hell over it, pouting and crying alongside the stupid black manjuu because Mokona _loved _his walks, and wasn't Watanuki mean and cruel and horrible to poor, _poor _Mokona –

Himawari's tower finally came into view. It was a stunning construct, a white tower rising from the shadows of the undergrowth to touch the edge of the canopy overhead. The trees in the enchanted forest were ridiculously tall; Himawari's tower was just that _little _bit taller, the window furthest away from the ground just brushing the tip of the tallest tree nearby.

Watanuki approached the base, resting one hand on the smooth stone that formed it and looking up. The rock was hard and slippery beneath his palm, with no purchase to be seen anywhere in sight. Watanuki had no idea how anyone could climb the thing, even had they a rope. There wasn't a foothold anywhere, just a sheer vertical face leading up to Himawari's window.

Yuuko had put her up there. Yuuko was _evil _for imprisoning such a lovely girl as Himawari – the witch was probably just jealous of Himawari's prettiness and grace and had decided to try and eliminate the competition, as it was. Vanity could be ranked right up there alongside drunkenness as one of Yuuko's vices apparently; the witch with her evil smile and wicked eyes and long body she _insisted _on draping everywhere it wasn't wanted when Watanuki was attempting to clean the shop.

"Watanuki-kun!" A light, delighted cry sounded from above, Watanuki immediately craning his neck backwards so he could beam and wave up at the girl leaning over the window ledge above him that was the closest to the ground.

"_Himawari-chan~!!" _It was like a switch had been flipped in the temperamental Watanuki – the Himawari trigger. The moment the girl came into sight, hearing or mention Watanuki was all smiles, the image of a besotted (if slightly inept) swain.

"Watanuki-kun looks so happy today!" Himawari's green eyes were bright as she looked down at the boy below, dark curls swinging through the air around her face. "Did something good happen?"

"Yuuko-san was busy so I got to come and talk to Himawari-chan~!" Watanuki stated this as if it were _very obvious, _not trying to hide his dislike for his 'employer'.

"Watanuki-kun shouldn't be mean to poor Yuuko-san," the girl above him playfully scolded. "Yuuko-san is very kind!"

No, no, _no. Himawari _was the kind one, saying such nice things about the wicked witch who'd locked her up in a tower. Watanuki shook his head, before pulling the bentou out of his bag and waving it up at the girl. "I made inarizushi!"

Himawari _sparkled, _clapping her hands together in delight. "Watanuki-kun is such a good chef!"

Watanuki practically fainted from the praise.

"He'd make a _wonderful _housewife."

Watanuki face-faulted, and fell over. _Hard_. On his behind.

"Watanuki-kun!" Himawari sounded worried. "Watanuki-kun, did you trip? Are you alright?"

"I'm alright!" Watanuki leapt back to his feet, unwilling to trouble his beloved for another second. Talking of seconds, he was painfully aware of time pressing on… "Himawari-chan should throw down her rope so I can send her bentou up."

"But…you fell…" The girl still sounded troubled, but the end of a long silver rope came slithering down the side of the tower regardless, the other end tied somewhere secure in Himawari's rooms.

"Himawari-chan shouldn't be worried about me!" Watanuki was beaming as he tied the bentou securely to the rope-end, tugging it once to let the girl know it was alright to pull the food up. Himawari-chan was just too _cute._

They babbled for a little longer, the boy and the girl. (Well, Watanuki babbled; Himawari heaped praises on Watanuki's head for the good food, and Watanuki blushed.) Eventually, Watanuki mournfully admitted he had to be getting back to Yuuko's shop, and Himawari waved him goodbye, all smiles. Himawari never stopped smiling.

Watanuki was smiling his own idiotic smile all the way back to the shop, skipping along completely unmindful of anyone or anything watching him. He was in his own little happy bubble of a world, and completely missed the dark gold eyes watching him, somewhat stoically, from behind a particularly large bush. Gold eyes and things with stalker tendencies hiding in bushes did not factor into Watanuki's happy-happy world of Himawari and he –

And so skipped Watanuki Kimihiro, all the way home.

* * *

Night fell and the lights came on in Nihon, muted golden glows that attempted to chase back the darkness. Kurogane avoided the brightness, the huddle of people in the warmth as they spoke in whispers of his 'condition', keeping to the shadows as he trotted around the places he knew, the places he'd be saying goodbye to the following day for at least a year.

He would miss this place, he knew. This calm – the peace of it, even the stupid sakura petals getting caught in his dark hair. Kendappa-ou's harp lilting through the night, Souma scolding him for some breach of etiquette or the other, Tomoyo-hime, the child-princess, drowned in her dress robes as he'd scooped her up and carried her to her bed back when she'd been younger, smaller, curled up fast asleep in his arms. The smell of her perfume mixed with the scent of Nihon's flowers, her laughter when he'd done something to amuse her, her crocodile-tears when she was trying to convince him to do something he was set stubbornly against.

This was _home, _his…family, he supposed, these strange people who he ranted at constantly and yet protected with all his strength. He didn't really want to leave; who knew what chaos the princess would get into without him around? And Souma…Souma would probably get too caught up in mooning over the empress and – and –

He didn't want to go. He _had _to go. He didn't like it.

* * *

Syaoran _squished _as he took a seat in the kitchen in Yuuko's shop, expecting – and being rewarded with – Watanuki's wince of mingled sympathy and dismay.

"What did you do," the black-haired youth asked, moping over the massive puddle on the nice clean floor he'd just finished prior to Syaoran's entry, "fall in the lake?"

"Pool up by the waterfall." Syaoran tilted a head in the direction of the waterfall where he'd spent the better part of his day, only trooping back to Yuuko's island when evening fell.

"What were you doing up there?" Out came the mop.

"A job for Yuuko-san." Syaoran didn't really need to say anymore. Watanuki paused for a moment, mop in hand, and the two boys shared a commiserative silence. "I had to go get something from the Ame-warashi."

"The Ame-warashi?" That was one of the higher-ranking fey… Something niggled at the back of Watanuki's mind, something…he'd heard that day. _"Ah!"_

Syaoran almost fell off his chair at the other's sudden outburst. "What is it?"

"I heard the flowers talking about her today while I was out!"

"Watanuki-kun…you heard…the flowers talking."

"That's right." Watanuki seemed oblivious to the disbelief in the other's voice. "They were daffodils."

Syaoran raked a hand back through his hair. "…Why am I even surprised by this?" He'd seen weirder things in Yuuko's shop, a few talking flowers should be no big deal. He turned back to an uncomprehending Watanuki. "What did the daffodils say?"

"Apparently the Zashiki-warashi's birthday is coming up, and the Ame-warashi is making her an enchanted music box as a gift – only the Ame-warashi can't find a sound pretty enough to put in the box, and has been terrorising the forest as a result."

Syaoran…wasn't really sure how that helped him, but he nodded regardless. And then he sneezed. Watanuki shooed him out of the kitchen, and told him to go change. Feeling distinctly henpecked Syaoran went, squishing all the way.

* * *

The morning sunshine intruded most ungraciously onto Fai's eyelids, slicing through the small crack he'd left in the sliding door from outside and hitting him directly in the face. With a sleepy grumble the blond rolled over, burying his face in his pillow, wondering why it was he'd ever opted away from his traditional sleeping pose in the first place to try lying on his side.

'_Shh…'_

The futon was comfortable, the blankets over him were deliciously warm, and slumber was but a half-step away –

And then the doors to the room were flung open with the proverbial, and quite, quite literal, _bang._

"Good _morning, _Fai-san~!"

"Up, up, _up! _Time to get up!"

"…Yuuko-san," Fai rolled over again at the sound of the – incredibly _loud – _voices that had just invaded his peace, unsurprised to see the grinning witch and a hyperactive Mokona ricocheting around the room in which he lay. Their good mood was infectious, slumber rolling away as his eyes brightened with their singing. "Mokona - good morning."

"Time to get _up~!" _Mokona cheerily repeated his wake-up call, bounding over to perch in Fai's cupped palms and snuzzle against the prince's cheek. "Fai-san has a busy, busy day!"

"Indeed." Fai favoured the little creature with a warm smile, Yuuko nodding her own agreement and standing at the base of her guest's futon, hands on her hips. (Fai actually quite appreciated the view, hedonist that he was – there was probably a _reason _Ashura had kept him from meeting most of the other people of the forest.)

"Today is an important day, Fai-san, is it not?" Yuuko's smile told the blond she (probably) knew exactly what he was thinking; her rich scarlet dress just as bright as the glow in her eyes.

"Very much so, Yuuko-san." Fai wasn't to be underestimated, even after just having properly woken up. He rose to his feet, white and blond versus crimson and black, taking the woman's hand and pressing the kiss to its back he should have bestowed upon it the day before. "But you look a _vision_ in red – are you really going to so upstage the bride?"

Mokona cheered as Yuuko laughed, extricating her hand from the teasing mage's hold. "Your 'groom' will have eyes for no other than you, Fai-san, I assure you."

Fai would've replied, but something shrieked from the garden outside the shop, sound slipping in through the sliding door to outside much like the sunshine. It _sounded _like a bird, but it was louder than any bird Fai could ever recall seeing or hearing.

Yuuko went to the door to investigate, before pushing the barrier open with her usual drama and stepping out. "My," the witch really _couldn't_ be anything other than elegant, sweeping into the garden proper in her royal red (much like a queen), "news certainly _does _travel fast."

"What is it? What is it?" Mokona bounced after Yuuko, Fai just a step slower as he went to the door and gazed at the giant bird now perched in Yuuko's largest tree, golden eyes looking down upon the approaching witch.

Fai, although slightly taken-aback at first, quickly recovered his usual intelligence and moving to catch up with his hostess in the morning air so he could better see the mark upon the bird's – it looked like an eagle - medallion. "…That's the Royal Crest of Faerie." He'd seen the symbol of enough of Ashura-ou's robes to be able to easily identify it.

"Indeed," Yuuko didn't look at him, inclining her head gracefully to the majestic eagle so that her hair slid forward around her face like a waterfall of ink. "This is an emissary from the Faerie Regent."

"Faerie has a Regent?" Fai was unmoved by the bird, even when golden eyes fixed upon him with an intensity that would have unnerved countless others, recognising him, measuring him. He was half of the thief that had stolen the Faerie King away, after all – Ashura-ou had whispered it in his ear that the Court would know the twins for the rest of time.

"Of course," Yuuko moved to collect the bundle the eagle had been carrying, the bird's great claws opening and releasing its load into the witch's waiting arms. "Who do you think has been attempting to keep control of the fey in these woods whilst Ashura-ou has been with you?"

Fai paused, words and breath catching in his throat as his mind spun and whirled away from him for an instant, brought back by the touch of white fingers to his cheek, Yuuko smiling at him like a mother would, package still cradled in her other arm.

"Child, you should not hide from such things. Just because you stop yourself from seeing what waits in the dark does not mean what waits in the dark cannot see you."

Fai smiled, trying to blind the witch from her insight. "Forewarned is forearmed?"

Yuuko smile didn't move, seeing through the child's ways easily. She did drop her hand though, moving to untie the package she held. As soon as it was undone –

"_Yuuko!" _A white thing leaped out of the bundle, long ears trailing in the breeze, cuddling into the witch's neck like there was no tomorrow.

"Mokona!" Yuuko seemed delighted to see the creature happily pressing kisses to her cheek, warbling out what Fai could only assume was a happy little song about friendship and distances and –

"_Mokona!" _The…_other _Mokona – the black one – leaped up onto Yuuko's other side, the two bouncing all around the witch's person in their happiness at being reunited.

"_Wah!" _The white Mokona – who had a slightly more feminine voice than the black one – bounced onto Yuuko's head, extending pale paws in supplication. "Mokona missed Mokona!"

The black Mokona bounded up to join its partner. "Mokona missed Mokona too!" There was lots of…Mokona-hugging and happy little twittering noises. And then both Mokona turned on Yuuko.

"_Mokona missed Yuuko too!"_

Fai watched in amusement as both Mokona proceeded to shower the witch in kisses, Yuuko petting and rubbing noses with the little creatures to comfort them and welcome the white Mokona home. It was really quite sweet, a smile – truer than any of the others the blond had worn that day – edging onto Fai's lips at the sight.

"_Yuuko-san…"_

The Mokona stopped their kissing at the new voice among them, but still remained cuddled into Yuuko's neck as an image projected itself from the medallion around the eagle's neck, the picture of a fair-faced…fey _person _appearing before those in the garden, black-haired and golden-eyed.

"Ashura," Yuuko nodded cordially at the fey on the other side of the portal. "To what do I owe the honour of speaking directly to the Faerie Regent?"

"_A wish of mine I was hoping you might be able to grant…" _The faerie's mouth was curled, absent, but his/her eyes were focused as they swept the scenery beside the witch, alighting on Fai.

Fai himself, was more than a little surprised, but covered up his feeling with a carefully bland expression. The…Faerie Regent was called Ashura? That…that couldn't be a coincidence, but Ashura-ou had never mentioned –

"What is your wish?" Yuuko ignored the Regent's wandering gaze, calling attention back to herself as she idly petted the white Mokona. "You've returned my Mokona to me, a significant payment, so it must be a significant wish to match…"

"_I heard my father's favourite was getting married." _Fai couldn't stop the widening of his eyes at that. 'Father', then – _"I came to offer my best wishes, and a gift for the soon-to-be-newlyweds."_

"Sadly, the groom has not arrived yet." Yuuko's tone was perfectly pleasant. "He hasn't proposed yet either."

"_But he will?"_

"He will."

"_Then my good wishes still stand, as does my desire to grant a gift to the one my father so dearly…loves." _Ashura looked to Fai again, smiling, but the blond couldn't hear any real sincerity in the faerie's words. _"Congratulations."_

"Thank you, Ashura-sama." Even though Fai had never heard of the creature until the start of their conversation. Ashura-ou _should _have told him of Ashura - but then again, Ashura-ou should have told him of Yuuko as well. How many things did Ashura-ou keep secret?

"_But first – Mokona, if you'd please?" _The Regent nodded a head to the white creature on Yuuko's shoulder, Mokona nodding and opening its mouth –

And two rather dense bottles flew out, landing in Yuuko's eager arms.

"Faerie wine!" The witch practically squealed when she saw the bottles, beaming at the Regent on the other side of the portal. "You do like to spoil me."

"_One bottle is for the happy couple…"_ Ashura's eyes sought out Fai's (again, the creature really was trying to make his/her/their point very clear, weren't they?), the faerie pleased when the human gave him a terse nod of thanks. Even that small action was an effort of will – it was clear the Regent didn't really like Fai, and Fai's own hackles were slowly rising as a result. _"The other is yours, Yuuko-san, as thanks for your aid in this transaction I'm about to ask of you."_

"Ask away." Yuuko was _cuddling _the wine.

"_I want to wish for a house to be built for the newlyweds, adapted to their needs. I had heard there were…'special circumstances' around this union; let the house solve the problems that arise from those circumstances. The fey lands beside the waterfall north of your island should be sufficient ground for the site." _Fai knew the place; he also knew it was a place where very many fey didn't go, out of the way. Establishing a home there would be inconvenient to visiting Ashura-ou often – not that Fai was really in the mood to see his guardian right then, hurt by the King's withholding of information. "_The ground there is sacred, and should aid any magic my father's favourite may cast." _

Yuuko nodded, slowly. "…The wish is acceptable; I shall grant it. Fai," she looked to the prince beside her, the blond perfectly impassive, his original morning laughter having drained away completely. "Will you accept this gift?"

Fai smiled again, but his expression held a slightly bitter twist. "How could I refuse?" He bowed to the Faerie Regent, low, hiding his face. "I thank you for your generosity." By the time Fai looked up again the image of Ashura was gone, and the eagle in the tree had taken to the air, flying for its home.

The two Mokona and Yuuko were looking at Fai, the former sympathetic, but the witch's gaze was knowing.

Fai forced some feigned cheer, trying to brush the conversation off with his usual ease. "I never knew Ashura-ou had a child."

The Mokona looked at one another, silent, and then, as one, took off for the inside of the shop. Yuuko waited a moment longer. "The greatest secrets are the ones we keep from our loved ones." And then she was gone, no doubt to badger Watanuki for some breakfast.

Fai stayed outside for a lot longer, trying so very hard to think of absolutely nothing, and stared at the morning sky.

* * *

**A/N: **It has just recently come to my attention how bad a deal the females in this story get. (I'm not a misogynist, I swear.) And yes, I'm including Fai in the 'female' description. As my dear once crys put it elsewhere, it's not exactly as if he's 'one of the guys'.

Also, the devil really _is _in the details – or at least Yuuko-san is, anyway. I swear her little excursions of speech where she outlines prices and conditions take at least three times as long as anything else to write…


	5. Binding Agreement

**Shadow: **I sat and rewatched some subbed clips from the Outo episodes the other day – whenever Syaoran does his little 'hai!' in reply to some command Kuro-pii gives him I just want to pick him up and cuddle him. Seriously, he really does look like a little puppy. ^^ (Or a 'little wolf', as his name cries out. So much Syaoran love~~ 3 ) Long(er) chapter this time – I had too much fun with certain sections.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter V: Binding Agreement_**

_Once upon a time, so long ago barely anyone can remember it, a woman with a broken heart made a wish in the darkness of her dreams. It was an unconscious wish originally, as all wishes from her like really are, but it gained momentum when offered potential and the breath of further existence. Temptation is a dangerous thing, even for the powerful._

"_Why?" She asked the one who, with one hand, had taken her whole world away, mockingly offering it back to her, re-shaped, with the other. Her hair hung long and dark around her face, shadowing the anger burning in her eyes. _

"_I owe you," he replied, ignoring her rage._

_She shook her head, and looked aside. "I want nothing from you."_

_Once upon a time, shortly after the death of a dark-eyed witch in the forest on the edge of the dying kingdom of Valeria, a woman with far too much time weighing on her heart was pulled into a dream._

"_Why?" The one who had pulled her there asked her, anger roughening his tone._

"_I owed you," she replied, folding her hands in her lap, demure as she sat in her chair. Her hair was swept up at the nape of her neck, her eyes as cold and as clear as her conscience. _

"_This is the way it is, then?"_

_She nodded, simply. "This is the way you have made things to be."_

_He glared at her. "You once wished to change that too."_

_She paused for a little while, and then thought of the children that were, and weren't, and were to come. "I want nothing from you."_

_Once upon a time, five years before the fall of the province of Suwa in the kingdom of Nihon, a woman with a house full of magic and a garden full of butterflies dreamed of the past, dreamed of the present, and then dreamed of the darkness. She dreamed of the _children, _and once more her tired heart made a wish. It echoed through the dreams, wings spreading into the air, and took flight._

"_Why?" He asked her when he arrived; standing in the reservoir opposite her, their reflections staring back at them from the unbroken surface. _

"_You owe me," she replied, the water of the lake lapping around her thighs, the crimson of her dress clinging to her legs, blood-red butterfly in the liquid cold. _

"…_He's dead," he informed her in his usual offhand manner, after a few moments pause. "You can dream your own dreams now."_

_She smiled at that, mirthless, dark hair loose and trailing around her form, pooling around her where it touched the water's surface. "Are you scared of the dreams of a dead man?" Her voice rang with mockery, picking at the other's flaws, insecurities. "Pay your debt to me."_

_He frowned, suspicious of this woman's every action. "Twice now you have told me you want nothing from me."_

_Her smile was fixed, her eyes distant to a time when she had been whispered something by a dreamer far more skilled than either of them. "I can wish for what I do not want." The expression slipped away, drowning in the reservoir below. "It is an easier thing than to wish for what you cannot have."_

_He scowled at her, hearing the mockery again, the chiding. "The moment I pay you everything will become something _he _cannot have. The worlds will change."_

"_Not everything," she gently corrected, a little quieter, the voices of those who were soon to never have existed at all still whispering their pleas in the forefront of her mind. "And everything must change in time, as all dreams must end." He looked ready to argue with her, to deny her this thing that would interfere with his dream, but her eyes turned colder, harder. "You _owe _me." And they both knew one should not, _could _not truly renege on their payments. _

_He scowled again, furious, but reached down to the water below him, the surface becoming harder, smoother as his palms approached, a perfect mirrored reflection. Although it was solid his hands slid straight through the barrier, reaching, feeling, before coming up once more, clutching a silent, _dry_ bundle as the mirror broke with the sound of a million, million endless screams, shards turning to ripples and tears as that which wasn't became that which had never been at all. _

_He handed the bundle to her, the child within awake and crying, squirming as she held him. The dark-haired baby with shadows already in his dream-spun blue eyes, a child that now never should have existed, but did all the same. "My debt to you is paid."_

_She cradled the baby boy to her in the darkness, the child of neverwhere and memory only she would truly carry. The water lapped around her, lamenting that what was lost, her crimson dress the same shade as her soft flame eyes. "Yes…" She looked up from the boy in her arms, the baby quietening a little, as if sensing the serious feeling in the air. "Will you keep dreaming still?"_

_Her companion frowned at her, silent, before turning and leaving, melting back into the darkness from where he'd came. He would not give up his dream, she knew, even though now he had to build it anew._

_Yuuko awoke from one dream to another in her shop and home, Maru and Moro looking over her protectively. The witch's dress was red, blood-red, and the baby in her arms was dark-haired with eyes so terribly _blue. _'Watanuki', she named him, as the parents who never were had once whispered to her, asking her to take their child. 'Watanuki Kimihiro', to keep him safe, as this world murmured sweet curses to those not borne on its soil. The child, from that neverwhere, would be plagued by the supernatural, spirits and oni alike drawn to his strange presence. _

_Yuuko gently rocked the child when he cried, and took him to the kingdom of Nihon while he lay sleeping, to give to a family she trusted there. They would raise the little boy, and guard him, and he would come back to her. In time._

_All the children would come to her, in time. _

* * *

The orb phased out through the skin of Tomoyo's throat in time with her breath, glowing a beautiful lavender colour the same shade as the princess' eyes as it floated through the air towards the waiting Yuuko. The witch extended a small – open - locket towards the sphere, lavender light bathing the silver jewellery with its quiet glow before Yuuko closed the piece, sealing the radiance away – and Tomoyo-hime's ability to sing with it. The hall they all stood in seemed so much darker then, the expression on Souma and Kendappa's faces rigid, the bells on the empress' headdress utterly silent as the woman was so still. Tomoyo looked determined. Yuuko was unreadable.

Kurogane glared at the locket, hating all it represented. _He _was the one supposed to be protecting the princess, not the other way around. Tomoyo had done enough, when she had been so young. He had sworn with his life to serve her, to guard her, after she had given up her time to him, the orphan child of Suwa – and here she was making another sacrifice. The princess-miko loved her ability to sing; she and the empress would often sing together while one of them played the harp, guests and courtiers at Shirasagi drawing around in wonder to admire the beautiful melodies. And now…that could never happen again.

"And Ginryuu?"

The witch's voice drew Kurogane from his thoughts, the wolf's glare sliding from the locket held in Yuuko's hand up to the witch's face, the dark-haired woman utterly impassive as she gazed back at one who literally _loathed _her right then.

Kurogane nudged forward the wrapped bundle before him with his nose and a one paw, not trusting himself to speak. Yuuko stretched out her free hand – secreting the locket away somewhere on her person with the other -, the parcel rising into the air, cloth falling away as the sword came to the witch, revealing the sheathed Ginryuu. (Kurogane looked away when his beloved blade actually settled in Yuuko's grip – he'd wrapped the sword for a _reason, _so he wouldn't have to see it when he gave it up.)

Yuuko admired the beautiful sheath for a moment or two, the gorgeous dragon on the hilt, before taking it tightly into her hold, motioning for Kurogane to come closer to her. "It is time to go. Have you said your goodbyes, Kurogane? It will be some time before you set foot in this Nihon again."

The wolf _stomped _forwards, moving within requested range, but only just. He didn't want to be any closer to Yuuko than was absolutely necessary. "Let's just get this over with, witch."

"Very well." As Yuuko nodded her head her magic circle expanded beneath Kurogane and her on the floor, stretching out in glowing lines of power. Kurogane glanced down for an instant and caught sight of the phases of the moon, the elements, before looking up to see Tomoyo's sad smile, Souma and Amaterasu stoic –

And then he was gone from Shirasagi, from Nihon, and the faces of those women were consigned to his memory alone.

* * *

Yuuko left Kurogane stewing in her main lounge, shutting the sliding door in the wolf's grousing face with the stern order that he should think on how he was going to propose to his future-fiancé. (Yuuko stressed the '_romantic', _and the '_endearing' _approaches_, _but was privately placing her odds on a simple '_unique'._) His grumbles followed her all the way out into the garden, quiet rumbles that were at complete odds with the breezy spring air and the gold-and-white figure she'd come to fetch.

Fai was sprawled out contemplatively by the lakeside not far from the house/shop, lying on his side and staring out at the ripples on the water's surface. At first glance the pose seemed catlike, basking in the warm sunshine, but his eyes were really too sharp for that, deliberative.

Yuuko approached him, hands on hips as she stood behind. "Plotting your escape already, Fai-san?" Kurogane had only been there _five minutes; _surely Fai hadn't changed his mind already? Yuuko could see the many strands of the many possible futures; she could say what the most _likely _result would be in any given scenario, but the outcome was never totally certain. Vagueness had a horrible habit of _lurking _around key individuals - it could give even the most minor seer one hell of a headache.

Fai didn't answer her jest – didn't even look at her, in fact, his hand hovering just over the surface of the lake, never quite touching the water. "This island…is a very magical place."

Yuuko smiled, striking a pose. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Fai raised his eyes from the lake to look back over his shoulder and meet hers, solemn – and then his lips curved upwards into their usual mischievous grin. "Yuuko-san is a force all unto herself."

It was nice to be recognised for a change. (Maru and Moro were dears, but a little variety – some unbiased opinions - made a pleasant difference to the routine.) "Your fiancé-to-be is here."

"So soon?" The question seemed at least to be half-genuine as the blond rose to his feet; Fai had been preoccupied since Ashura's message earlier that day, caught up in dreams and memories that bled out in the strangely melancholy blue of his eyes.

"My, how time passes by when we're having fun."

Fai would've replied to the rather dry comment but his fledgling words were overrode by the call carrying in the air to them from the shop –

"_Yuuko-san!" _It was Syaoran's voice, the boy himself speeding down to the lakeside and the duo there with the light of inspiration in his eyes. He looked like someone with purpose, with an answer – Fai envied him fleetingly, before casting the useless feeling aside. "Yuuko-san!"

Yuuko had seen the boy with the same light in his expression before. "You have a wish, Syaoran-kun?"

"Yes, Yuuko-san." One could see the traces of the magnificent man Syaoran would become in his form, in the determined set of his jaw, by the very firmness of his speech. "My apologies for interrupting you whilst you were talking," Fai, behind them, waved a hand airily in the universal gesture for 'no problem' before tucking both hands behind his head and whimsically staring up at the sky, "but I would like to wish for a sound."

"'A sound'?"

"Something that could be put in a music box," Yuuko's youngest customer explained, "like a song. But a really beautiful one – that faeries would like to listen to."

Yuuko studied the boy silently for a few seconds, and then reached down the front of her dress (Syaoran blushed and quickly looked away whilst the woman rummaged), plucking out a silver locket. She swung it lazily back and forth on its metal chain before the brunet, watching the brown gaze following its arc intently. "There is a price."

"What can I pay?" Syaoran was rapidly becoming accustomed to the way the witch worked.

Yuuko shook her head and dropped the swinging locket into her free hand, curling long fingers over the piece and removing it from sight. "You have nothing equivalent in your possession at this time."

Syaoran looked frustrated, his plans spoiled, but then Fai spoke up in his bright voice, the two with him looking around to see the mage leaning against a glittering golden staff set with blue gems. Seeing he had their attention, Fai motioned to the staff. (Where had he drawn it from? Thin _air? _It looked remarkably solid for a creation of wind and moonlight, decorated with the crescent moon and stones the same shade as its owner's gaze.) "Perhaps, Yuuko-san, this could cover the cost of Syaoran-kun's wish?"

Syaoran looked a little flustered at the blond's generosity. "Fluorite-san, I -"

"'Fai'," Fai corrected, not looking at the boy.

"Fai-san," Syaoran compromised, "I couldn't ask you to -"

Yuuko cut him off, shaking her head at Fai. "The staff is too high a price for the wish."

The prince only smiled at her, painfully bright. "Ah~, but I have a wish too, Yuuko-san! You know," he looked at his staff, hugging a little closer to his chest, "this was made especially for me by the Faerie Court? I charmed it myself as they set the metal, and it's one of the strongest in this forest. You can use it for magic of all sorts, writing the runes in the air…"

"What is your wish?"

"For a little of your employee's time, if Syaoran-kun is agreeable." Fai looked to the boy, seeing the brunet's confusion. "I think I'd like some company in my new home, and Syaoran-kun seems as if he'd make a charming houseguest."

Again, Syaoran blushed a little. "Fai-san, my company really isn't worth the loss of your staff -"

"Ah, this thing?" Fai gave the aforementioned staff a poke, beaming at the boy. "It's powerful, yes, but I never use it. Rarely _ever _do any magic at all – I've sworn off of it. A recovering addict, if you will. Really, Syaoran-kun would be doing me a favour in helping me be rid of it."

"Fai-san -"

"Would you visit me at my new home, Syaoran-kun?" Fai's eyes were so very _blue, _intense, and Syaoran felt something tremble in the air. Something unravelling, old threads falling away as one strand stood out clearer than all the rest.

"I – yes, Fai-san; it would be my honour." Syaoran bowed his head.

The mage looked back to Yuuko, pleased. "Is this price acceptable to you, Yuuko-san?"

The witch had remained silent in the exchange between her customers, unsurprised by the events before her. Although no seer Fai's magical gift was strong, the prince intuitively feeling the jagged edges around Syaoran's place in the world – the blond could probably feel various forms of that same wrongness all around the island.

Yuuko nodded her head. "It is acceptable." The trade was done.

* * *

Kurogane was quite happily – alright, abandon the 'happily' and settle more along the lines of 'resignedly' – sitting by himself in the room the hell-spawned witch had abandoned him in, refusing to even attempt to do that which the demon-woman had bid him do – aka, thinking of ways to propose to the brother of the blond guy he'd taken from the forest that had landed him with this ridiculous curse. And, if his thoughts were a little long-winded, he was blaming it entirely on the pot of ire he was stewing in, monologue rant against life, the universe, witches, mikos and magical women in general going full-steam ahead in his mind. But, as he was slowly drawn from his internal soliloquy by an irritating poking sensation along his right thigh (or…whatever the name of the canine limb was in the place his human right thigh had been) and looked down, Kurogane came to realisation he was going to have to scratch 'magical women' from his list and extend the position to 'all magical _things' – _if the clearly-magical, lumpy, rabbit-eared white manjuu prodding him incessantly had anything to say about it, of course.

"_What," _Kurogane enunciated in his usual charming manner, words caught up in a terrific mixture of a snarl and fangs, _"do you think _you're _doing?"_

"Hi~!" The white _thing _chirruped, completely ignoring the swift, fiery death being promised by the wolf's tone. "Mokona is saying hello!"

"Go bother someone who gives a crap." Kurogane turned his back on the thing. "I've no time for talking manjuu."

"_Mokona is not a manjuu!" _This was proclaimed in a shrill huff, a sudden weight pouncing on Kurogane's back informing the shinobi, with a slow, creeping, _horrified_ incredulity, that the talking manjuu was actually stupid enough to be thumping around his spine in its tiny temper. (Kurogane immediately tried using his tail to swat the damned thing off.) _"Mokona is Mokona!"_

"_Get off!" _The tail wasn't working.

Mokona wasn't taking the hint. "_Mean_ doggy! _Nasty_ doggy!" Thump – thump – _thump._

"_I'm not a dog!" _Kurogane rolled over onto his back to try and squish the little pest that was bothering him, only for Mokona to wriggle around before the wolf could satisfactorily flatten it and bounce on the shinobi's stomach instead. _"Get off of me, you stupid rabbit!"_

"_Mokona is not a rabbit!" _One last _thump _drove all of the air out of Kurogane's lungs and then the manjuu was bouncing away, wailing nonsensical lies to the person standing in the open door and – oh. Oh dear.

"Yuuko-san, Yuuko-san!" Mokona was having a literal _field _day, sobbing theatrically into the witch's neck as she waved one paw at the awkwardly posed wolf in the middle of the floor. "_Wah, _the big scary doggy was mean to Mokona!"

"Was he now…?" Yuuko was outright _smirking, _Kurogane leaping to his feet (and out of the ridiculously puppyish position he'd been in), hoping against all hopes the witch hadn't seen too much of his display. (Defeated by a manjuu – if word ever got back to Tomoyo-hime he'd _never _live it down.)

"He was; he was!" Mokona babbled on, adding more fuel to Yuuko's glee, and Kurogane's rising discomfort. "Mokona was only trying to make the big doggy feel comfortable and he called Mokona nasty names!"

Kurogane dug his claws into the mat beneath him and _glared _at both the white bun and the witch. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough," Yuuko replied, smirk growing wider by the second as she petted the _still-_wailing Mokona. "Kurogane really brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase 'in the doghouse', hm?"

Kurogane growled, but the sound was drowned out by Yuuko's laughter and Mokona's giggles – if that manjuu ever got too close to him again Kurogane was _eating _it.

"Fai-san," Yuuko raised her voice, calling out to one beyond the sliding doors she'd (sneakily) entered by, "you can come in now – your significant other has finished trying to kill my housemate."

Kurogane was torn between snarling at the witch for the 'significant other' comment and looking to the door for the one he'd be tied to for the next year – he eventually went with the latter action, as growling/snarling/glaring at Yuuko rarely seemed to have any effect except amusing the witch even more than she already was.

'Fai' stepped into the room, a study in shades of grey and white. Kurogane's world was bleached of colour as he looked upon it with the eyes of a wolf, but he didn't need colour to be able to tell that the young man before him was an identical twin to the one sleeping back at Shirasagi. (The irony hurt a little – the one twin was the reason he was cursed, the other the means by which the curse would be lifted.) His vision told him that the young man before him was pale – of skin, hair and dress -, and that he didn't look a day over twenty. Who _was _this mage, exactly?

Something akin to surprise flashed through grey eyes when 'Fai' saw him, quickly hidden from sight as the youth smiled, sweeping a bow that made Kurogane's back ache just _watching _it – the stranger would put many of Shirasagi's courtiers easily to shame. "A pleasure to meet you – I am Fai D. Fluorite."

If nothing else, Kurogane felt a grudging admiration for one who could recover from discovering he was to be engaged to a _wolf _so swiftly – that was, of course, as long as Yuuko hadn't forewarned him.

"'D'?" He queried rather rudely, unused to the letter's placement and abandoning social niceties – Mokona had exhausted his patience. People of Nihon did not usually possess middle names.

"A Faerie title," Yuuko supplied, when it became clear Fai did not know exactly what the shinobi was inquiring, "for the most highly-ranked of their mages."

"You have faerie blood?" Kurogane eyed the blond suspiciously.

Fai straightened, seemingly amused at the tangible wariness coming from the wolf. "None, to the best of my knowledge."

"He's mortal," Yuuko echoed, "through-and-through."

"Through-and-through-and-_through!" _Mokona leapt from Yuuko's shoulder to Fai's, snuggling up to the mage's fingers when Fai raised his hand to absently pet her.

"From _where?" _Kurogane asked, ignoring the prattling manjuu – where were the blonds coming from? It just wasn't a trait in the bloodlines of Nihon, and the 'people' of the forest (judging by Yuuko) seemed to be dark-haired as well.

"Black-san has so many questions~!" Fai laughed the query off, preoccupying himself with the bun cuddling up to his shoulder.

"I know nothi – _what did you just call me?!" _Kurogane's irrepressible temper flared once more, fury mounting when the mage only continued to laugh.

"Black-san," Fai repeated the name with far too much cheerfulness to someone who wanted very dearly to shred him limb from limb at that moment in time. "You didn't give me your name, so what else was I supposed to call you?" The thread of an indulgent smile danced across the blond's expression.

Kurogane growled, and made sure to bare his fangs. _"Kurogane." _He wasn't going to be lectured on manners by some lanky magical twit.

"Kuro -" Fai tried the name, but the moment he stumbled across the third syllable a slow dread sank like a stone in Kurogane's gut – something the damned witch would probably pass off as a premonition, as _hitsuzen, _but Kurogane himself was quite content to dub sheer shinobi _instinct – _"Kuro-chan, your name is so difficult to pronounce!"

"It's Kuro_gane!"_

"Well of course _you _can pronounce it." Fai had the cheek to look mildly offended at being thought of as an idiot (as was clear by Kurogane's tone), Mokona nodding haughty agreement from the mage's shoulder. "It's _your _name, Kuro-rin."

"Ku-ro-_ga-ne! Kurogane!!"_

"Kuro-chan, Kuro-rin…" Fai completely ignored the rising ire of the wolf before him, tapping one finger to his lips in thought. "Mokona, which do you think is cutest?"

The manjuu burbled, pleased at the attention. "Mokona calls Kuro-pu-pu 'big doggy'!"

"Kuro-wan-wan does rather bark a lot, doesn't he…?"

"My name is _Kurogane!!" _Kurogane was doing a remarkable impression of a bristling cat, considering he was currently supposed to be a member of the more canine species. "Idiot mage."

"Mokona has the rings!" The announcement cut through whatever teasing comment Fai was about to come out with, the prince and Kurogane turning to look at the white Mokona who chose that moment to hop from Fai's shoulder and land in Yuuko's waiting arms.

"All things considering," the witch's smirk seemed to be permanently etched on her face as she gazed at the two _besotted _men before her, "I think it would be best if we skip Kurogane's no-doubt well-thought-out proposal and move straight onto the engagement, before one or both of you destroy my house." Yuuko was rather fond of her house, actually. It kept all her sake nice and cool, and Watanuki always cooked up such tasty treats in the kitchen when he wasn't too busy flailing between the furniture over some petty grievance or other.

Mokona spat out the rings – both silver, and one looped on a chain of the same metal -, Yuuko catching them in her hand and showing them to her two human companions. "Well?" Her raised eyebrow was taunting.

Fai took his own ring, sliding it onto the appropriate finger and studying how the silver caught the light, metal decorated with tiny runes, a charm of binding. He didn't inquire as to the nature of the runes, didn't even ask why it was that Yuuko had chosen the volatile _silver _as the metal for the set – he just nodded, accepting the choice, and whatever it was Yuuko had seen that had led her to make the choice. He was quiet, for which Kurogane was thankful, perhaps seeing something solemn in the moment, perhaps dreaming of further ways to taunt his new fiancé in the future. (Kurogane didn't really care right then – it got the idiot to _shut up._)

Kurogane had more difficulty. With no hands he couldn't snatch the ring from Yuuko like he'd originally intended, fumbling a little as he managed to hook the chain his ring was upon around one paw, the whole piece slithering helplessly to the ground.

Fai took pity on him, crouching down beside the wolf and picking up the chain, sliding the loop over Kurogane's head (and actually sparing a moment to avoid flattening the shinobi's pointed ears). This close the mage's scent was strong, a confusing mixture with layer upon layer of smells that had bothered Kurogane ever since the blond had entered the room. (The increased sense of smell almost – but not quite – made up for the loss of colour-vision.) Some layers spoke of the cold mountain heights, of snow and pine, some of the forest in the first sun after rainfall. There was the whiff of flowers and the itch of _flour, _something sharp and sweet in equal quantities besides, but overall there was a strangely familiar bitter musk like – like –

Kurogane couldn't place it, just like he couldn't place the shifting smile adorning Fai's face when the mage stood up again, the ring bumping against Kurogane's furred chest on its chain. Fai was unreadable.

"We're engaged now, right?" The blond had a soft voice when he felt like using it, something that could've been soothing if only it suddenly didn't sound so _depressed. _(Kurogane attempted to curb his offence at the depression a little – it wasn't as if _he _was looking forward to spending a year with the idiot either.)

"Do you consider yourself engaged?" One day – _one day – _someone was going to get a straight answer out of the bloody witch, Kurogane swore it.

Fai looked at the ring on his finger. "In this sense, yes." A visible bond.

"Then you're engaged." Yuuko's argument was far too simplistic for Kurogane's liking, but he didn't know enough of magical matters to argue against her. "Mokona will take you to your new home as soon as you are ready."

"I'm ready," Fai glanced down at the wolf beside him, Kurogane giving him a sharp nod in response. The sooner he was away from the witch and her insane retinue the better. "_We're _ready. Yuuko-san, please tell my -" the blond halted, faltering, as Mokona suddenly grew wings and Yuuko's magic circle appeared on the ground beneath their feet. He didn't know – he was still unsure of what to call the man who had raised him since he was eleven, cared for him, taught him, watched over him, slept with him. Too many titles – friend, father, betrayer, teacher, watcher, _lover. _The white light of Mokona's magic rose around them, slicing through his vision of Yuuko's suddenly solemn face. "Please tell Ashura-ou of my wish and its price." Even though, he felt, somehow Ashura somehow already knew. There had been too much knowledge in the faerie's eyes –

"Good luck," was Yuuko's only reply to the comment, and then Mokona _swallowed _them, and took them from the shop.

* * *

Syaoran visited Fai in his new home just as asked later that afternoon. He hadn't meant it to be so early, really, but when he'd absently asked Yuuko where it was the friendly blond man now lived the witch had just laughed genially and told him he'd find out when he went about his usual business. A little bemused Syaoran had set out for the waterfall he'd been at the other day, intent on finally retrieving the item Yuuko wanted from the Ame-warashi there, but had stopped short, beyond surprised to see a _house _sitting not that far from the tumbling water.

"_Syaoran-kun!" _Hearing Fai's voice Syaoran looked around wildly; trying to see the elder male, but couldn't see him anywhere. A twig dropped from nowhere and landed on the boy's head and Syaoran looked up, his confusion increasing when he saw Fai dangling there from a sturdy tree-branch, upside-down, waving at him with a cheeriness that could _surely _only come from at least partial insanity.

"F-Fai-san…"

"Did you know some breeds of wolves are really bad at climbing trees?" Fai's tone was far too conversational for the situation, the blond seemingly totally unbothered by the fact he was currently hanging upside-down in a stupidly tall tree.

"Fai-san…" That position really couldn't be very comfortable. "Why are you hanging upside-down in a tree?"

Fai beamed at him. "I tried sitting the right way up, but that got rather dull after the first ten minutes."

"Er -"

Fai suddenly swung himself upright, coming down the tree in a strange slither-scramble, almost hopping from branch to branch until he stood, both feet flat on the ground, and smiled at his guest. "Syaoran-kun is quick to visit; he really is a man of his word, hm?"

The brunet blushed at the quiet praise. "I…really didn't know you'd be here. I have a job to do for Yuuko-san," he admitted honestly.

"And so modest too!" Fai ruffled the boy's hair. "Do your best, Syaoran-kun." He paused, expression suddenly thoughtful as he surveyed their surroundings. "Are you here to see the Ame-warashi?" Syaoran nodded slightly. "She doesn't like humans very much; the top half of the waterfall is warded by fey magic to block off any mortals getting into the spirit mountain without invitation."

"I was hoping," Syaoran began, reaching into his shirt to pluck out the silver locket he'd worn over his heart, "that she might come to me. I heard she was looking for a song to put in a music-box for her friend, the Zashiki-warashi, so -"

"So you asked Yuuko for a trade." Fai looked admiring of the boy's intelligence, his eyes slipping closed when Syaoran flipped the locket open and the sound of a girl's voice, singing sweetly, sweetly, filled the air. It was beautiful.

Syaoran closed the locket again, nodding – and then his eyes widened when he caught sight of the curious wolf trotting out of the house beside the waterfall, called out by the locket's music. "Fai-san, that's-!"

Fai followed his line of sight. "_Kuro-pon!" _He waved excitedly at the canine, Kurogane stopping short at the nickname and baring his fangs in a distinct show of unfriendliness. "Ah," Fai sighed melodramatically, more to himself than anyone else, "such a grouchy puppy. Has Syaoran-kun met my fiancé?"

"That's -" Syaoran took another look at the wolf, and swallowed, "that's your _fiancé?"_

"Mmhm," Fai stretched with his indecipherable smile firmly in place, snatching up Syaoran's hand and dragging the boy off to meet the rather scary-looking creature that was scowling at them (could wolves even _scowl?_). "Kuro-tan -"

"It's Kuro_gane, _you idiot mage!" The wolf ignored Syaoran entirely, snarling at his blond idiot instead.

"Kuro-tan," Fai continued on regardless, just as if the shinobi hadn't spoken at all, "this is Syaoran-kun." The prince motioned to the boy, smiling brilliantly. "I invited him to visit us now and then, between his work for Yuuko-san. Syaoran-kun, this is Kuro-yip," Fai gestured to the then-growling wolf. "Don't mind him when he yaps; his bark really _is _worse than his bite -"

"_Do you want to test that?" _There was a literal hell in Kuro-gane-tan-yip's eyes. Syaoran had to summon up every shred of his pride and manliness to avoid back-pedalling sharply, wanting to avoid getting in the irate animal's way when he exploded.

Fai put his hands on his hips, and his two companions had to blink for a moment to reassure themselves they were still looking at a _man _for a moment. He sighed, looking up to the heavens as if seeking patience there. "Kuro-wan-wan has _no _manners. Here he is, being rude to our first guest -"

Kurogane frowned. "Wait a minute -"

"Just as he's always rude to me, his poor fiancé, ever since we first met -"

"That was only a _few hours ago _-"

"And now he's waylaying poor Syaoran-kun when he's got a job to do!" Fai finished the exclamation with a flourish, pouting down at the wolf. "Kuro-pu, you're such an _animal."_

Syaoran didn't wait around to hear Kurogane's response, but he heard it all the same, even as he'd started climbing up the cliff face beside the waterfall. Kurogane could pack quite a lot of volume apparently, and the reason for Fai being in a tree when Syaoran had first arrived in the area quickly became clear as the blond dashed away below him after Kurogane's yell, an enraged wolf in hot pursuit. Fai hoisted himself up into a tree as quickly as he'd slid down the other one before, laughing gaily as Kurogane's paws scrabbled on the bark for purchase and waving brightly to Syaoran in the distance.

Syaoran…stared, for a little while. The engaged couple…he didn't know what had happened for the two to have entered such a _weird _agreement, but they both had to be stark raving _mad. _They seemed horribly ill-suited – and that was _without _factoring in the whole different-species thing.

When Fai looked away from his waving to resume taunting the infuriated Kurogane stalking around his tree's base Syaoran resumed his climbing, inching his way slowly up the rocks damp with spray. It was a slow, tiring journey, his limbs aching, his mind focused only on climbing higher up, up, _up, _to reach the halfway point, the ledge that ran behind the waterfall. There was a tunnel there that would lead to the spirit mountain, the home of the Ame-warashi.

Eventually, after what felt like _hours, _he reached the ledge. His hands were red from gripping the rocks so tight, cut in a few places where his choice of grip had been too sharp. Syaoran paused for a few moments to catch his breath, his pants drowned out by the thunder of the waterfall. Leaning back against the cliff face it crashed away to his right, a mighty river smashing itself to death on the rock bottom of the pool below. And then, wary of going too close to the tunnel leading to the spirit mountain for fear some fey magic would blast him back down the rocks, Syaoran opened the locket Yuuko had given him.

Music came out instantly, the lovely melody of a wonderful singer. A girl's song, her whole heart poured into it. It was a costly locket, to have such a wonder inside of it – a heart in harmony. Yuuko traded in hearts, Syaoran thought, because what were wishes but the heart manifested in desire? People placed their hearts in different things, their futures in their wishes, spoken or unspoken, simple or strong. A wish was a wish; a heart was a heart, and Yuuko weighed and took and gave and measured so that all things were equal. What kind of heart did the one have who dealt in hearts…?

"_Human." _A woman's voice interrupted Syaoran's mental ramblings, the waterfall's roar muted as someone stepped out from behind it on the ledge the brunet was resting on.

She had blue hair, the boy saw, curled around her rather stern-looking face, tied up in black ribbons that bobbed with her movement. Her dress was black as well, tight around the bodice and flaring out from her waist to her calves, lacy and ribbon-decorated as well. Her arms were bare, decorated with droplets of water from the spray, her fingers (cloaked in black gloves) holding rather austerely on to the handle of an umbrella the same colour as the rest of her outfit. Her eyes though…they were blue, liquid, rippling, the spirit of water shifting and changing as the dark pupils fixed on Syaoran.

The _Ame-warashi. _Summoned by the song from the spirit mountain, just as Syaoran hoped she'd be.

"Human," she repeated, as if she could possibly be speaking to anyone else. (Syaoran had read once, that the fey had a thing for being specific, but this was pushing things slightly, wasn't it?) She was a rather blunt faerie. "You – _boy. _Where did you get that locket?"

"From Yuuko-san, the Witch of the Forest." Syaoran smiled internally when he saw how the rain sprite's attention was captured by the jewellery in his hand. "Do you know her?"

"I know her," the Ame-warashi replied, heels clicking on the wet stone beneath them as she made her way over to the brunet, "but she never stocked anything like _that _when I last inquired of her."

"I'll trade it to you." Syaoran looked up boldly, meeting his companion's eyes as he let the song play on in his hand, weakening the Ame-warashi's resolve. The sound was lovely, perfect for the Zashiki-warashi's music-box. "Equivalent exchange."

"…You have something you want from me." The rain sprite frowned, the umbrella in her hand suddenly seeming a rather threatening object. "I should smack you for your impudence, human. What makes you think I want your song?"

Syaoran shut the locket with a quiet _click, _the music in the air ending abruptly, mid-note. "I'll just be going now, then. My apologies for troubling you." He made as if to start climbing back down the rock face.

The Ame-warashi grabbed his arm. "Wait." She looked aside, clearly grouchy at having been outmanoeuvred by a human. Syaoran realised he was doing nothing for his race in the faerie's eyes; he was being manipulative, he knew, but he needed to fulfil Yuuko's quest so she'd grant him his wish. "What is it that you want?" The rain sprite had to love the Zashiki-warashi dearly, to be willing to go to such lengths for her.

"…You have a pipe," Syaoran said, feeling a little humbled by the Ame-warashi's obvious willingness to do what she could for her friend, "decorated with a fox. Yuuko-san said you'd know which one she meant when I told you."

"I know the one." His companion folded her arms with a quiet _'hm', _umbrella tucked under one puffy sleeve of her dress. "Am I making this trade with the witch or you?"

Syaoran wanted the pipe – but he only wanted the pipe because Yuuko wanted the pipe, and had made it Syaoran's job to fetch it. So Syaoran _needed _the pipe and oh – this made his head hurt. "A bit of both," the boy said eventually, firmly, "but the locket is mine to trade."

"Very well," with one hand the faerie began unscrewing the end of her umbrella's handle, the inside revealed to be hollow – aside from the something slotted inside. This, the Ame-warashi slid out – it was a silver pipe, decorated with symbols of a fox, which she waved in one hand (after screwing her umbrella's handle back on). "This is the pipe."

Syaoran offered her the locket and the Ame-warashi offered him the pipe, the objects switching hands and Syaoran hugging the pipe close to his chest. He didn't really care as to where the Ame-warashi had spirited the jewellery away to – but he _did _notice when the faerie went to the edge of the ledge she was standing on and peered down, lips pursed in a frown. (Syaoran could've sworn he heard her mutter something about 'noisy neighbours', but wasn't really feeling forward enough to inquire.)

"I'll be closing this tunnel up," the rain sprite spoke to the human beside her again, as stern as when they'd first met. "This place is not the same as it once was, especially if humans make it their business now to come and trade with the fey here. Tell the witch to seek the other entrances should she require the fey anymore."

"Yes," Syaoran bowed his head again, deferential to the highly-ranked faerie, only glancing up again once she was gone. Then, and only then, with the pipe carefully slotted into his belt, did he start making his way back down the cliff, warm delight at having completed his first quest for Yuuko bubbling in his chest.

"_Hyuu~!" _Fai cheered from the garden of his home the moment Syaoran set his feet on true ground once more, clapping his hands at the brunet's achievements. "Well done, Syaoran-kun!" The blond shot a pointed look at his canine companion – why were the two _sitting together? _Surely they'd realised they didn't get along by now? "See how easily things can be resolved with a little civil conversation, Kuro-pii?"

The wolf snorted, head on his paws as he looked determinedly into the distance. "Like I care."

"How _cruel, _Kuro-myu!" Fai pouted slinking closer to Kurogane's side. "You're really not interested – not even the littlest bit? Syaoran-kun could've slipped and fallen to his death!" Syaoran looked a little awkward as he approached the two, unsure of what exactly to do. It would be rude just to up and leave, especially after Fai had directly addressed him -

"He didn't, and stop calling me stupid names."

"Kuro-wanko is so _cold _to his poor fiancé; does he want Fai-neko to warm him up?" Fai nuzzled into the wolf's side and Kurogane yelped, leaping to his four feet and aside.

"_Don't touch me!"_ The shinobi stalked away to the other side of the garden.

"Such a growly doggy…" Fai sighed again and Syaoran privately wondered (again) whether he'd agreed to visit a lunatic for an unspecified amount of time – but then, there was a sharp mischief in Fai's expression, intelligence behind the humour in his eyes. Apparently, Kurogane was fun to wind up. (No matter if Syaoran personally thought the exercise was suicidal; Fai seemed amused.)

"Kid," Kurogane's voice, snatching Syaoran's attention to look at the wolf. The canine had his head tilted slightly as he regarded the boy; his eyes narrowed in…_thoughtfulness? _(It was hard to read a wolf.) "Where's your sword?"

Syaoran stared. Again. It was getting to be a habit just recently for him. "…How did you know I have a sword, Kurogane-san?" He did have a sword of course, but he'd hidden it in the way his father had taught him to. How had Kurogane known-?

"Your stance, for one." The wolf's gaze was assessing. "And you've put that pipe in the place a sword would usually go on your belt, as if you're used to a weight there. You're a swordsman, so where's your sword?"

In the background Fai made a soft '_hyuu' _noise as Syaoran drew his father's sword – _his _sword – from his left palm, holding the hilt tightly in his right hand as the metal of the blade gleamed in the light, sharp, keen. "This is it."

"Can you use it?" If Kurogane was impressed by the boy's magic he didn't show it, padding forwards to inspect the sword a little more closely. Syaoran lowered it to the grass for the wolf to better see it, sinking down onto his knees.

"My father once told me never to unsheathe a sword unless I had both the skill and the willpower to wield it." Syaoran didn't need to elaborate – his blade was naked.

"Wise words," Kurogane was a 'man' of few words – he approved of others who got to the point efficiently and expressed a worthy sentiment at the same time.

Fai wandered over to his two companions, catching the tail-end of a discussion on sword-folding technique, and the point of a blade. He pulled a face before leaning over the sword that had Syaoran and Kurogane so enraptured, trying to see the fascination they shared. "Nyaaa, Kuro-rin is so _smart~! _He knows such much about weaponry – much more than _me."_

"_What did I say about those stupid names?!" _Kurogane snapped, wriggling out of the mage's shadow. "And it doesn't take much to be smarter than you," Syaoran shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat, Kurogane looking back to the blade before him, _"idiot."_

Fai completely ignored the last chunk of the other's words. "But Kuro-rin sounds so _cute!"_

"It's Kuro_gane, _damn you!"

"Grumpy Kuro-wan-wan barks too much~"

"Says the idiot who won't shut up?!"

"Yap, yap, yap…" Fai sank down into a crouch, disregarding Kurogane's temper entirely. "Kuro-myu should teach Syaoran-kun how to wield a sword even better, don't you think?" When his fiancé made to protest Fai _looked _at him, the edges of a smirk touching his lips. "Kuro-sama knows so very much about weapons after all; I'm sure he's very experienced one way or another. I'll help in any way I can, considering Kuro-chan appears to be lacking hands…" There was a vague 'right now' hanging in the air, but Fai didn't know that Kurogane really wasn't a wolf yet – did he?

"Fai-san," colour had risen in Syaoran's cheeks, the boy embarrassed as the blond stranger he'd only really met _the other day _once more tried to go out of his way for him, "Fai-san, I couldn't ask you or Kurogane-san to -"

"You have a wish, don't you?" Fai didn't know what it was Syaoran wished for, but the boy had the _look _of someone who was determined to see his choices through to the end, the strings of fate bound tightly about the boy whichever way Syaoran turned. "Let us help."

"I -" there really wasn't a way to say no to Fai when he looked so resolute, so solemn, "yes." Syaoran dropped his eyes, his voice quiet in gratitude. "Thank you."

Kurogane made another grumble under his breath, having really been roped into the enterprise without his say-so. He couldn't really back out though – the boy had acquiesced to Fai's insanity, and…Kurogane had his _honour _to think about, his pride. Stupid mage. The idiot better know how to wield a sword.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Syaoran returned to Yuuko's shop, slightly less than sober. Fai had pulled out the faerie wine sometime after Kurogane had agreed to teach Syaoran, the three of them partaking a little more of the strong liquor than they probably should've done. Kurogane himself had been fine, lapping up whatever was poured out for him, but Fai –

Syaoran sweat-dropped at the very _thought _of a drunk Fai. The nicknames had come out to the fore, but Kurogane had quickly realised it was useless getting incensed at someone who just _giggled _at you and called you something even worse. (Now, if only the wolf could figure out that the same rules generally applied when Fai was _sober._) As soon as Fai had started '_nyaa'_ing Kurogane had hidden the wine, Syaoran downing what was left of his own drink and bidding the hasty goodbye the wolf clearly wanted of him, leaving Kurogane to deal with the blond lazily draped all over him.

"Syaoran-kun!" The Mokona seemed glad to see Syaoran home at least, leaping away from where they'd been pestering Watanuki to perch on his shoulders, one on each.

The black Mokona bounced up and down. "Syaoran-kun's home~!" This was perfectly obvious, considering Syaoran was standing in the room where Yuuko was lounging out on one of her couches, Watanuki attending her as usual with Maru and Moro dancing unhelpfully about – they could all see Syaoran for themselves.

"Yuuko-san," the brunet went to kneel before the witch, pulling out the pipe he'd received from the Ame-warashi that afternoon and offering it to Yuuko. "Here is the item you requested."

"Item?" Watanuki leaned over a little curiously, the cups on the tray he was carrying rattling slightly at the movement.

"Ah!" Yuuko clapped her hands together, straightening in her seat as she reached out to take the pipe from Syaoran. It slid open at her touch, a long, thin, white worm-like creature slipping out, blinking tiny jet eyes at them all. And then it set its gaze upon Watanuki.

There was only a blur in the air to mark the fact the creature had moved – Syaoran blinked and Watanuki '_kyaa'_ed, and the tray of cups went flying as Yuuko's newest pet wrapped itself around Watanuki's neck and proceeded to shower the confused employee in kisses and hearts.

"_Get it off of me!!"_

"_Aw~," _Yuuko cooed rather unhelpfully, smothering her laughter with one hand, "I think it likes you, Watanuki."

Since the weird creature didn't seem to be hurting Watanuki – just…inconveniencing the black-haired youth, by the looks of it, although all that flailing the boy was doing was really quite unnecessary – Syaoran let it be, looking at Yuuko. "What is it?"

"Can't you guess?" Yuuko smiled at the brunet, for once forthcoming with information. "It's a kudakitsune – a pipe-fox. They're quite strong creatures spiritually; they make wonderful guardians."

"Off – off – _off!" _Watanuki _pried _the kudakitsune from his person, holding the wriggling creature at arm's length.

Yuuko tutted, stretching out an arm for the fox to curl sulkily around. "Don't be like that, Watanuki – you'll hurt its feelings."

"_What about _my _feelings!" _Watanuki flailed. "Look at the mess it's made of the floor!" The cups that had been on Watanuki's tray had been full of sake – sake currently staining Yuuko's no-doubt expensive matting. And _guess _who'd have to clean it up?

"Watanuki's _mean!" _The black Mokona suddenly said, voice disapproving.

"Mean, mean, _mean!" _The white Mokona chimed in, leaping across to bounce on Watanuki's head as punishment. "Watanuki threw those cups himself!"

"_Mean, mean~" _Maru and Moro weren't ones to let such an invitation to torture their mistress' employee wander by without their input.

Yuuko shook her head. "For shame, Watanuki."

"_I'm not _mean!" Watanuki began snatching up the cups from the floor, put-out.

Syaoran watched him storm out of the room, all righteous fury, and the room burst into giggles after he was gone. Really, he might've well have just have stayed at Kurogane and Fai's home – coming back to Yuuko's had just been trading one kind of insanity for another.

* * *

Fai was more than a little put-out when the lights in the room he was sitting in suddenly went out, magically-sustained light extinguished in half the blink of an eye. He'd been drowsing in the main lounge of his new home, sprawled out comfortably counting the beams in the ceiling above him when everything suddenly became dark – it was most inconvenient.

Sitting upright Fai heard footsteps in the room next to the lounge – that would be the kitchen, if he remembered rightly. "Kuro-pii?" He spoke to the darkness, literally unable to see an inch in front of his nose. This was beyond ridiculous; there was a moon outside, why wasn't there any light coming in through the windows? "Kuro-tan, did you do something to knock off the lights?"

"…What?" The footsteps moved from the kitchen into the hallway. That…was Kurogane's voice, but – why…why could Fai only hear _two _feet moving? Last time the blond had counted, wolves had _four _paws, unless Kurogane had suddenly learned how to walk on his hind paws.

"The lights," Fai patiently repeated. "Did you do something to knock them off?"

"…Not directly, I think."

'Think'? Fai's forehead creased in thought – this reeked of fey magic. Ashura had wished for a house for them that would suit all their needs…could this possibly be a 'need'? And if Kurogane was associated –

"Kuro-chan," the mage heard the door to his room open, someone stepping inside, "is…there some reason I can't look at you right now?"

A snort from the door in the dark. "So you're not as stupid as you look."

"Kuro-pu's being mean again!" Fai scolded, rising to his feet. "Just because he makes me work out what all his secrets are doesn't mean he can be nasty whenever he feels like it -"

"You can't look at me at night-time. Ever." Kurogane cut the other's lecture off, not in the mood for Fai trotting out a litany of his fiancé's (apparently many) failings. (He'd had the list five times already that day.)

"Oh?" There was blessed silence for a few moments, Fai considering the information given to him. "…Will Kuro-chii go 'pop' if I do?"

"Just _don't_," Kurogane ground out with his usual grace and eloquence.

Fai laughed. "I can't really see anything right now, Kuro-pop, least of all a grouchy puppy." He stepped forwards, trying to remember his way through the room by his memory alone. The blond really couldn't see _anything_. "If the lights are out I might as well just go to bed -" He tripped then (over what he assumed was probably the coffee table, judging by how it sent a sharp pain shooting up from his mid-calf when he smacked into it), anticipating the hard collision with the ground –

Strong arms caught him, Fai stumbling into a warm chest, nose hitting a cool chain resting there. The arms stabilised his body, but Fai's mind derailed for a good few minutes. (He was suddenly thankful for the darkness then – he was gaping, and knew the expression really would make him look like the idiot Kurogane had dubbed him as.)

"Kuro…" surprise robbed him of a nickname, his hand rising quite unconsciously to touch the cold ring he'd placed around a wolf's neck that very afternoon, only now - "Kuro-kuro?"

"It's Kuro_gane." _The shinobi still had the same rumbling voice, irritation evident. Fai had become accustomed to the wolf's look of frustration, but – but –

"Kuro-wan-wan," Fai said lightly, fingers curling a little harshly around the other's ring, his own nails digging into his palm, "you're not a wolf right now, are you?"

Hot breath moved past his ear, stirring his golden fringe. "Do I feel like a wolf, idiot mage?"

No, no, no, no, _no._

Fai released Kurogane's ring, palms flat against the other's chest as he _pushed. _Kurogane freed him from his grip at once, letting the mage step back; gain breathing room as his thoughts whirled and he fumbled for the door. "It's been a long and exciting day today, hasn't it Kuro-pii? I'm going to go to bed now so I'll be as fresh as a daisy in the morning -"

Kurogane had no time for his nonsensical ramblings. "Are you really going to run away from a confrontation with me for a whole year?"

Fai finally found the door, gripping onto the knob like it was a lifesaver. His tone was as playful as it had ever been, but it seemed hollower than usual, empty without the plastic smile beside it to back it up. Smiles were useless when people couldn't see them. "Is Kuro-chan going to insist on a confrontation that will make me run away?"

Kurogane – the very, very non-canine Kurogane – didn't answer. Fai went to bed, slipping away in the darkness like he'd never been there at all.

* * *

**A/N:** On a totally random note: I decided to go check out the _Princess Princess_ anime online after reading the manga (on a sparkling recommendation, and on that point I'd like to say I like the manga art better), and the moment Kouno opened his mouth to speak my brain decided to kick in and yell '_ah! _I recognise that voice!' So, off trotted I to wikipedia to research Tooru's seiyuu – a guy going by the name 'Jun Fukuyama'. Turns out he was the voice of Lelouch from _Code Geass_ (*squishes him for that*), Aidou from _Vampire Knight_ (*squee*) and Watapon from _XXXHolic_~~~~! Day is made. X3

…I should probably be saying more about the chapter here, but - *flaps hand* Let us all just accept the fact that I'm a lost cause.


	6. Those of the Forest

**Shadow: **This chapter leaps about in time a bit, but…hopefully the narration will clear that up as it goes along? Time's progressing in leaps and bounds now the facts are sorted (- which, I'm warning you now, in my stories, usually means things are starting to go wonderfully _wrong_).

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter VI: Those of the Forest_**

_Once upon a time, recently enough, but still a little longer ago than you or I have been around, there lived a man on the edge of Nihon, just inside the enchanted forest. He was of Nihon by birth, but much preferred the cool shade under the trees to the hustle and bustle of that country's life. His wife agreed with him, and the couple lived together happily in the forest, building their own home, growing their own food. They were at peace with themselves, and the Nature around them._

_They had a child together – a boy. He was raised in the forest but did not possess the same love of Nature as his parents – when he was of age he left the sanctuary under the trees and went to Suwa, the nearest province in Nihon. He didn't keep in touch._

_His parents were saddened by his decision, but they tried to understand. They wished their child all the best, wherever he was, that he would find someone he could settle down with, perhaps start a family of his own. Theirs was not a way of life for everyone; as long as their son was happy wherever he was, they were content._

_Years went by. One morning the couple of the forest woke to the taste of ash on the tongue, the red dawn showing smoke on the distant horizon, low over Suwa. The couple worried and the husband rose to saddle his horse, riding out into Nihon as quickly as the creature could take him._

_He was met with devastation – by the dead, and dying. Little was left of what had once been a flourishing province save for charred remains, a few survivors stumbling around in confusion. The man helped them where he could, asking, always asking, if anyone had heard of his son. No-one seemed to know the man he spoke of, too busy babbling about the oni that had come from 'the accursed forest'. _

_The man from the forest was troubled. In all his life he had never seen an oni – he had thought the creatures myth, as nothing had ever harried his wife or he. Where had the mysterious oni come from?_

"Doumeki!" _A stranger called out to the man after he had been searching for a week in the remains of Suwa – a young woman. She looked half-dead, bloody and scratched, but there was a determined glint in her expression, recognition in her eyes. _

_He did not know her, but waited as she approached him. Perhaps –_

"_You are Doumeki, yes?" She was young, in her early twenties perhaps, pretty in a fierce way as she clutched to a bundle on her chest. "Doumeki Haruka?" _

_Haruka had stared, surprised someone knew his name – and then hope lit up inside of him. "I am that man, yes. You knew my son?"_

"_I was his wife." Something hard and raw burned in the words – in the past tense -, hands trembling a little. "He – when the oni attacks came -" She dropped her gaze, looking to the rubble at their feet. "You look like him."_

"…_I'm sorry." Sorrow ached inside Haruka's own chest, but he slid from his horse to try and embrace the woman before him, his daughter-in-law. He did not doubt her – loss showed too clearly in her form._

"_No…" She stepped back before he could touch her, heat in her cheeks. "I'm sorry, but – the baby. You might crush him." _

Baby?

_Only then did Haruka look more closely at the bundle the woman held, at how it moved slightly, the rise and fall of tiny breath. _

"_This is your grandson," his daughter-in-law reluctantly held out the child for him to see, pulling back the cloth so Haruka could see the small babe within that looked so _much _like his only son. "His name is Shizuka."_

_Haruka took the child, and cradled him close. "He's beautiful." _

_Shizuka was raised in the forest with his mother and his grandparents. The family of four never spoke of Suwa, of Nihon, if they could help it, concentrating on what was good about their lives as they were. It was a simple life, peaceful. _

_Shizuka was ill quite a lot. He was frail, and his mother insisted upon dressing him in girl's clothing – a kimono. Haruka's wife didn't quite understand the idea, but both Haruka and his daughter-in-law were adamant. It would help Shizuka, they said. The boy would become strong. Haruka's wife let them have their traditions, knowing to trust her husband when it came to superstition and the supernatural. Haruka was the one had written the ofuda that guarded their home – no fey had ever come anywhere near their house, even though the forest was supposed to be rife with the race._

_Shizuka grew up stronger, abandoning his illness of the past. He took up archery, and Haruka oversaw him, letting the boy follow in his footsteps. Shizuka's spiritual energy was strong, and the exercise worked well for both mind and spirit. _

_When Shizuka was twelve, Haruka died. An illness crept up on the man, draining his life away, and the day of his death brought mourning to the household. Shizuka left to gain some room to simply _breathe, _slinging his bow and arrows over his shoulder and going deeper into the forest, deeper than he'd ever been before by himself._

_Seeing something glinting in the sun shining through the branches overhead Shizuka entered a clearing in the trees, gaze immediately falling on a case crafter of crystal and silver at the clearing's heart. It was this that the sun had made glint so – approaching the case Shizuka saw a young man lying fast asleep inside of it. He looked in his late teens at the very least, face and hair strangely pale. Some…some _fey _magic had to have bleached the man of his colour, put him to sleep and sealed him away from the world. _

_Shizuka thought about returning home then, to go into his grandfather's library and research what could have happened to the sleeping stranger, to see if he could help him. But – this was an enchanted forest. The scenery changed for wanderers – you had to know where you were going to get there, Haruka had often said, or you could go around in circles forever. If Shizuka left the clearing, he might not ever find it again. _

_And so, Doumeki Shizuka opened the cursed case._

_When Shizuka didn't return home that day, his remaining family worried, and searched the forest. They searched the forest for _three years, _and then Haruka's widow died. Distraught, alone, and not understanding anything, Shizuka's mother fled the forest, weeping at the loss of everything she'd ever known. She left for Nihon, for as far away from the hexed forest as she could possibly go._

_From the edges of the trees a golden-eyed eagle watched her go, his neck heavy with the golden crest of the Faerie Court._

* * *

"- and then Fai-san scrambled up the tree again and _meow_ed at him."

"And…they actually _taught _you a lesson that day as well?" Watanuki adjusted the basket he had over his arm, glancing down inside of it for a few moments to check he hadn't crushed the delicate contents. Yuuko had him on delivery service. _Again. _He huffed quietly, and the kudakitsune curled around his throat _hrr_ed, raising its head to nuzzle Watanuki's cheek for a moment before flopping bonelessly once more. (He'd tried leaving the kudakitsune back at the shop but the little creature was having _none _of it, wriggling up Watanuki's sleeve and clinging stubbornly around his upper-arm under his shirt until he'd eventually given in and just left with the kudakitsune still attached to him.)

"Yes," Syaoran, walking along at Watanuki's side, nodded. The brunet had been recounting some of the training he'd been doing under Kurogane's tutelage for the past month or so – or rather, the crystallised insanity that went on in Fai and Kurogane's home, with the occasional training in-between. The engaged couple had been together all that while – a miracle in and of itself, considering neither of them were sporting any serious injuries -, but they still didn't seem to really 'get along' particularly well. Fai teased; Kurogane snarled. Fai did something that Syaoran could only really describe as _flirting – _and Syaoran wanted very much to be far, far away when those occasions happened as it brought up bad images and the topic of bestiality and he did _not _want those sort of thoughts lurking in his poor brain -, and Kurogane…sometimes Kurogane blew his top completely, and other times he spoke lowly, sharply, and Fai went away by himself, sunshine gone from his smile. Syaoran had only seen the blond's expression once when Fai had been in such a mood, and he didn't think he could bear ever to see it again. Kurogane and he had had a quiet afternoon, but it had been a melancholy one too.

Watanuki sighed again, feeling the basket press into his arm, the weight of Yuuko's knowing smirk hanging oppressively over his head, stretching into the unending distance of his life. "I won't have time to see Himawari-chan today, will I?"

Syaoran looked up overhead, seeing the sun's placement in the sky, and quickly worked out how long it would take for them to get to the waterfall, and how long it would take for Watanuki to get back to Yuuko's shop. There wasn't any time for Watanuki to take a detour – Yuuko had given Watanuki a deadline. "No, sorry." It was his father who'd taught him how to read the celestial bodies for time and direction; Syaoran's father had taught him many useful things, almost as if he'd known –

"_Himawari-chan!" _Watanuki wailed to himself, actually falling to his knees in the middle of the forest and bemoaning his fate to the sky.

Thankfully, exposure to Watanuki usually equipped one with the knowledge of various ways He Who Wailed Constantly could be dealt with. Syaoran inwardly sighed, but followed through with the method he'd discovered worked best with his black-haired companion. "You mention Himawari-shi a lot…do you like her?"

It did the trick, Watanuki leaping to his feet and defending Himawari's honour, cheeks flushed with pink as he flapped his arms about so much it was a wonder he'd didn't suddenly take off. "No-one could _dislike _Himawari-chan!" As if that had been the kind of 'like' Syaoran had asked about – Watanuki found safety in generalisation. "She's so kind, and has such a lovely smile~~" A blissful heart-struck sigh, and Watanuki was lost in his little dreamland again. But…at least he was _walking _as he dreamed, all but prancing along at Syaoran's side. _"Look!"_

Syaoran looked where his companion was suddenly pointing, seeing the very tip of a white tower in the mid-distance. "Is that-?"

"That's where Himawari-chan lives, after Yuuko-san locked her up." Watanuki shook his fist at the memory of the witch. "One day I'll find some way to vanquish Yuuko-san's evil -" Syaoran looked a little doubtful, "- and I'll save Himawari-chan!"

Syaoran could see the uppermost window of the tower, just above the trees. He saw a flash of darkness in it – hair? – and instinctively stepped forward, as if to get a better view, but tripped, unusually clumsy. The ground was hard but the thick grass was relatively soft, and Syaoran did little more than bang his knees and palms, getting a little dirt on his clothes.

"Bad luck," Watanuki automatically extended a hand to the fallen brunet, Syaoran somehow having the largest rock in the surrounding area to completely oversee and trip over. Watanuki knew there was a meaning in such things – there was a meaning in all things (Yuuko had drilled that into his head enough times) -, but the headache-inducing action of deciphering such a meaning was best left to the insane or the perpetually drunk. (Yuuko fitted both categories splendidly.)

Syaoran reached out to take the offered hand, fingers meeting wrists, palm to palm. There was white lightning racing through two minds, a roiling in two guts, and Syaoran rose to his feet and pulled back his hand as if burned. Brown stared at blue for an instant, two heartbeats, two lifetimes parallel and tandem and colliding in an explosive shattering of glass, and it hit Syaoran that it was the first time he'd ever really _touched _Watanuki, skin-to-skin. The kudakitsune made a quiet noise at the darker-haired youth's throat - discontent.

The moment passed.

Syaoran started walking again, speaking to Watanuki without looking at him. "You'll be late getting back to Yuuko-san."

Dread at the thought of actually being late and being exposed to Yuuko's wrath kick-started Watanuki into movement, both boys occupied in their thoughts as they hurried on their way.

* * *

Yet again, they were in the garden. The inside of the house almost felt claustrophobic to Fai, the prince used to roaming as he willed in the forest, unable to stay in rooms that became black – pitch black – as soon as night fell and Kurogane approached. Ever since their first night together Fai had avoided Kurogane at night-time when he could, going for long walks when the moonlight was bright enough and creeping back in hoping against hopes that his housemate would be asleep by that time. Sometimes Kurogane was, sometimes Kurogane wasn't, and Fai spent most of his nights on the rather comfortable couch in the living-room, the door firmly barred. In the morning he was up with the proverbial lark, humming or whistling his strange attempt at a whistle, serving up breakfast to his dark-eyed fiancé when wolf-Kurogane sloped down the stairs from what _should _have been their shared room.

They were in the garden, in the sunshine, looking relatively at peace, as far as peace for a duo like them went. Kurogane was reading some mangayan he'd found on the shelves in their house's library, delicately flipping the pages with the tip of one claw. (Fai had actually been the one to find the mangayan, but hadn't asked why Ashura had thought this a 'need' and simply carried the manga outside for the wolf to read, alongside one of his own magic books that had somehow miraculously appeared from the home he had shared with Ashura-ou and Chii.) Fai, however, was bored; setting aside the book he'd been reading and stretching.

"Kuro-_piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii," _Fai flopped out on his front, propping his chin up with his hands as he fixed his gaze on his distracted fiancé, "I'm bored."

Kurogane was unsympathetic. "Go be bored somewhere else then." He was busy with his reading. Claws were not as dexterous as fingers.

"But Kuro-chan is _here!" _Fai pointed one finger at the wolf, as if Kurogane had somehow failed to take notice of himself that morning. "Who else can I play with?"

"Go play with some of your faerie friends."

Fai slid a little nearer to the grass beneath him. "They're too far away."

Kurogane frowned at that, and looked up at him. "How do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things," Fai smiled back. "Does Kuro-sama want to play now?"

"_No." _'Kuro-sama' felt like he was entertaining a small child. (Baby-sitting had never been his forte.) "Go away."

Sighing, Fai partially complied. He rose to his feet and went away a little way, slinking around the garden with a mildly distracted air. Kurogane ignored him. Or at least, Kurogane _tried _to ignore him, succeeding only up to the point when he suddenly found Fai very much in his face again, brandishing what looked like half a sizeable tree-branch in an almost lethal manner.

"What the -"

"Kuro-chan!" Fai waved the branch/stick at him, before suddenly flinging it far away from him with dramatic aplomb. "Fetch!"

"Like hell," Kurogane lazily retorted, deliberately looking down again and flipping to another page in his mangayan with the tip of one claw. "If you wanted the damn thing so much you shouldn't have tossed it away in the first place."

"_Aw, _Kuro-tan's no _fun_!" Fai pouted, coming over to flop at the wolf's side. "I was just trying to think of good bonding exercises for master and pet."

Kurogane bristled, growling in the back of his throat. "What did you just say?"

Fai ignored him, shading his eyes to look up at the clouds overhead. "Hey, Kuro-wanko, do you know how to play dead?"

Kurogane snarled. "_I'll show you '_playdead' – _only _you _won't be playing!!" _He leapt for Fai, but the blond had already, in turn, sprang to his own feet and dodged the incoming wolf, sprinting for the nearest tree. Kurogane was determined the idiot wasn't going to get to one this time – screw the curse, he was _ripping the mage's throat out with his teeth._

Fai only laughed, evading Kurogane's best attempts to slaughter him. _"Hyuu~! _Kuro-woof's so energetic~!!" He reached a tree, scrambling up to the relative safety of a few branches up, and laughed down at the thwarted Kurogane. (The wolf really _couldn't _climb trees.) "Does this make me the kitty-cat big doggy likes to chase?"

"If you're a cat," Kurogane growled back at him, "why can't you just get _stuck _up there and give me some peace?!"

"Aw…" Fai sprawled out on his branch, one long arm dangling lazily down. "Kuro-chan would miss me if I were gone."

"Like a hole in the head!"

More laughter, Kurogane wanting very dearly to have both his hands and his sword back, simply so he could have the great pleasure of ramming the blade down the idiot's damn throat. "Look, Kuro-pu!" Fai sat up straighter on his branch, waving madly to two approaching figures. "It's Syaoran-kun and his friend!"

Kurogane turned as the comment almost bid him to do, seeing his student and Watanuki coming nearer. "…Who's the other kid?"

"Watanuki-kun, I think." Fai slipped down the tree, standing on the forest floor to greet their guests. "He works for Yuuko-san."

"Fai-san, Kurogane-san," Syaoran stopped before them, bowing in greeting. He really _was _such a ridiculously polite boy – good children really _did_ exist in the world. He straightened again, motioning to the boy at his side. "This is Watanuki-kun."

"A pleasure to meet you," Fai was cordial, smiling at the new boy – and then he saw the kudakitsune coiled around Watanuki's throat. "Well," he leaned in a little more, expression much softer as he looked down at the stirring fox, "aren't _you _a little beauty?" The kudakitsune raised its head to snuggle against his hand for a few moments, shamelessly loving the attention, before going immediately back to Watanuki and putting a kiss on the boy's cheek. Fai laughed. "Looks like _you've _got an admirer."

Kurogane grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, fed-up with Fai cooing over the kudakitsune. Kurogane himself didn't see the other's fascination – he thought it looked like a furry white worm.

"Yuuko-san sent me to you with a gift." Watanuki spoke to Fai, reaching for the basket on his arm with his free hand and pulling out a bunch of beautiful flowers. Kurogane couldn't name their type – they were like nothing he'd ever seen before, but they smelled pleasant.

Fai took the blooms, smiling. "Yuuko-san sent me a gift?"

"No…" Watanuki shook his head. "There was a girl – she came to the shop the other day and made a wish. I don't know what she wished for exactly, but Yuuko-san said I was to tell you they were from her. She had really long blonde hair and fluffy ears, like a kitten. She was called -"

"Chii," Fai held his gift a little closer to his body, voice quiet as he pulled away from the others somewhat. His smile lost some of its brightness. "Her name is Chii."

Watanuki looked a little awkward. "That's correct, Fluorite-san."

Kurogane huffed to himself, weary of the stilted conversation. He couldn't see the colour of the flowers, but their hue matched the sad shade of Fai's eyes almost perfectly, cradled as they were in the idiot's arms.

"…What colour are they?" He asked Syaoran, his tone as uninterested as he could make it.

"You can't see?" the boy asked, a little startled.

"Colour-blind," the wolf retorted rather flatly, as he personally thought it was rather obvious.

"_Oh," _his charge was immediately apologetic. "Kurogane-san, I'm so sorry -"

Kurogane cut him off – Syaoran struck him as the sort of boy who really could apologise until the cows came home. "What colour are they?"

"Blue," Syaoran finally replied, rather promptly. "Like the summer sky."

"…Like fluorite?"

There was a long pause, Syaoran considering the suggestion as he looked at the flowers in Fai's arms, at Fai himself. "…Exactly like fluorite."

* * *

Watanuki kept up a brisk pace as he walked back to Yuuko's shop from Fai and Kurogane's home, the kudakitsune curled up fast asleep at the bottom of his basket emitting baby-soft snores. It was almost kind of cute like that, Watanuki close to forgiving the little creature for being such a pain to him at times – the kudakitsune really _was _only trying to be friendly. He smiled down at it for a few seconds before looking up again at where he was going once more – and stopped dead.

A human _girl _was in-between the trees before him, leaning back against a tree-trunk to look up at the interlinked branches overhead, black curls tied into bunches spilling down her over her shoulders and back. Her face was fair, her posture relaxed, and Watanuki made a noise similar to that of a choking cat, catching the girl's attention.

They blinked at one another for a few moments, and then she _smiled _at him.

"_Himawari-chan~!" _Watanuki dove forwards, intent only on the pretty girl before him. If some inner sense gave a twinge he ignored it – Himawari-chan came first. "How did you get out of your tower? It's so wonderful to see Himawari-chan face-to-face at last!" This close he could see the _exact _shade of Himawari's beautiful eyes, her smile in all its glory, the way the sun gleamed on her raven hair.

"Watanuki-kun!" Himawari clapped her hands together, positively delighted. "Watanuki-kun, I was hoping I could meet you so much; I waited here for you."

Watanuki _swooned _a little. "Himawari-chan waited for _me?" _He could die a happy man.

"I'll always wait for Watanuki-kun – he's very special to me." Himawari's eyes practically _glowed _with her confession – and was it Watanuki's imagination, or were they larger than before?

"What beautiful big eyes Himawari-chan has!" Watanuki could see his reflection in the black pupils, twin youths looking back out at him with slight concern.

"All the better to see Watanuki-kun with!" Himawari _sparkled. _"Watanuki-kun is very handsome up-close."

Watanuki flushed an alarming shade of pink and flailed, willing himself not to keel over in sheer happiness at the compliment from his beloved. "_Himawari-chan is too kind~!!" _He set down his basket for fear of dropping the sleeping kudakitsune, revelling in his joy.

Himawari only giggled at the happy wiggle-dance the other was doing, playfully extending her hands to be pulled into the merriment by the black-haired boy.

Watanuki took hold of the white hands more than willingly, beaming at the feel of the girl's soft fingers, the way glossy black curls whirled in the air as Himawari span in a circle, pulling him away from his basket. Nails dug into his palms a little harder than was necessary, Himawari's fingers quite strong in their hold, but Watanuki tried to pass it all off with his usual light. "What a strong grip Himawari-chan has!"

"All the better to hold onto Watanuki-kun with!" Himawari smiled and Watanuki's heart started doing somersaults in his chest – and then it thudded when Himawari's smile extended, lips parting, and Watanuki saw the _sharp _white teeth hiding in the darkness of the pretty girl's mouth.

Watanuki swallowed. _Hard. _"My…" he breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from Himawari's fangs, the shifting features on the girl's face that were slowly slipping into something no longer recognisable as anything even _remotely _human, "what pointed teeth Himawari-chan has." 'Himawari' hissed, nails digging even harder into Watanuki's palms, cutting in so far red bled down the youth's wrists. "What have you done with Himawari-chan?"

The _monster _before him didn't reply, its mouth elongating and stretching open, two eyes sliding into a bulbous scarlet one. It looked _hideous, _stench rising from its released form choking Watanuki, making the boy cough as he attempted to drag his hands free from the spirit's grasp.

"_Tell me what you've done with Himawari-chan!!" _The kudakitsune was still sleeping; Watanuki was suddenly grateful the little fox wasn't awake to see the horrible spirit, smell the foul stink that was fogging up the forest, making it hard to breathe –

Watanuki coughed, choking, and all he could see was the monster's dark maw looming over him and endless rows of glittering _teeth –_

Suddenly, there was a blur of white, tawny brown and gold, something massive swooping down between Watanuki and the _thing _that had assaulted him, smacking him in the face and sending him reeling backwards. His wrist was torn free from his captor's, nails digging in and slashing a deep line down his skin, but he was _free, _panting as he stared wide-eyed at the huge golden eagle that was flapping its wings defiantly at the hissing spirit that had once looked like Himawari.

The eagle _shrieked _at an ear-splitting pitch and beat its wings in the evil spirit's face - the monster, in response, hissed again, turned tail and abruptly fled. The smell went with it – Watanuki coughed once more to get the last of the noxious odour out of his lungs, but breathing was a lot easier.

The eagle flew to a nearby tree branch, looking down at him. Why the spirit that had attacked him had fled in the face of the bird Watanuki certainly didn't know, but he was grateful. If the eagle hadn't showed up he probably would've lost his _life, _but, as it was, all Watanuki had were some deep scratches on his arms. They hurt like hell and would sting even more when he cleaned them, but he was alive.

He smiled rather weakly at the bird, blue eyes sweeping across the creature's glittering plumage, the hard glow in golden eyes that matched the metal crest around its neck. Watanuki didn't know the symbol engraved on the crest – Yuuko probably would, though. He'd ask her about it later so he could send a thank you gift to the eagle's owner, but first –

"_Himawari-chan," _The very thought of his beloved having been tricked in a manner similar to the way he had just been sent Watanuki into a panic, the boy leaping to his feet, snatching up the basket with the _still-_sleeping kudakitsune inside (the little fox certainly knew how to nap), and racing for Himawari's tower in the distance to check the girl was alright, Yuuko's deadlines for returning to the shop completely forgotten.

The eagle watched him go, unmoving, and only took off from its perch when Watanuki was well out of sight.

(Watanuki found Himawari in her tower, unhurt, unbothered. No spirit had come anywhere near her. Watanuki flailed over her for a little while, and then dashed off back to Yuuko. Yuuko made him cook a ridiculously elaborate meal for herself and Mokona as compensation for his tardiness, and proceeded to get very, very drunk. (She, Maru, Moro and Mokona were dancing and singing all night.) Watanuki, bleary-eyed the following morning from lack of sleep, took the hint, and was suitably chastised.)

* * *

Fai had _said _'three days'. Three days and three nights, a snatch of time for him to run away back to wherever he'd come from and elude any and all of Kurogane's questions. He'd been a little stranger than usual ever since that Watanuki kid had brought him the flowers from 'Chii', the strange blooms Syaoran said were blue and Kurogane saw as grey, unrotting smudges in a vase in the living room, where Fai had seen them every day.

Fai had _written _'three days, see you soon, Kuro-wanko', his words a looping, almost unintelligible scrawl on a piece of paper on Kurogane's pillow, the first thing the wolf had seen upon waking one morning, about a week after Chii's flowers had arrived. Fai had disappeared into the night, unable to even tell Kurogane to his face that he was vanishing for a little while. He was as hard to hold as the far-away moonlight, the untameable wind. He was three times as frustrating.

On the third day Kurogane waited, and denied the fact he was waiting to himself. Fai returned promptly, as he'd written but –

That bitter musk he'd scented when he'd first met Fai was now everywhere on the blond, thick, heavy and irritating. The smell raised Kurogane's hackles, his lips instinctively pulling back into a snarl, the animal part of him forcing itself out.

"Kuro-pu?" Fai halted, seeing the other's expression. Kurogane had threatened him before, chased him in anger but – this was different. The wolf's entire manner was freezing cold, _icy, _hostility rolling off of him in waves.

"_My name is Kurogane."_

Fai's smile slipped a little at the frosty tone, the expression hastily tacked on again as he tilted his head to the side, eyes shut and fringe sliding along his face. "Kuro-chan is so grumpy today!"

Kurogane _looked _at him, red-eyed, cold. He wasn't angry, yet he was, and the thoughts tumbled and jumbled in his head as his teeth remained bared. His…his _honour _had felt like it had been slapped – his engagement with Fai was a thing of convenience, even though he didn't know what it was exactly that the mage had entered the agreement for. Still, even in Nihon, there were _principals _one adhered to – intimacy of any sort between the engaged couple could be ignored (not that Kurogane wanted it _anyway_), but to involve a third party –

"Kuro-sama…?" Fai looked mildly confused.

Kurogane turned his back on the rude, _infuriating _blond, and stalked back into the house. He didn't even want to _look _at the one calling himself his fiancé.

The bitter musk – the smell Kurogane had spent so long trying to place…

That had been the scent of another man.

* * *

"_Himawari-chan~~~!" _Watanuki arrived, ever-prompt, at the base of his beloved's tower, specially-prepared bentou-box in hand for his favourite girl as he waved up delightedly at Himawari's smiling face – and then blinked, a little confused as to why there was a large golden eagle sitting on the girl's ledge beside her. The _same _golden eagle who had saved Watanuki a week beforehand, if Watanuki's eyes weren't deceiving him. (He adjusted his glasses, just to check.) Why…?

"Watanuki-kun!" Himawari beamed down at him, waving back. "We were waiting for you!"

'_We'?_

"Hn," the eagle made a non-committal sort of…_grunt._

Watanuki _gawked. _"It _talks?!" _The bird had never said a _word _to him the last time he'd seen it, and now it was talking?! Wolves were one thing; eagles were another, and someone _really _needed to sort out the sudden infestation of talking animals in the forest. The very thought of them made Watanuki's head hurt.

"Not 'it' – _he, _Watanuki-kun!" Himawari smiled at the bird beside her, bowing her head slightly to it. "This is, Doumeki-kun. He comes to talk to me now and then."

'Doumeki-_kun'_?!! Watanuki inwardly fumed – when had this strange _bird _become so close to Himawari-chan to receive such an honorific? Why was the stupid bird coming to _talk _to her?! Himawari was _Watanuki's_ precious person – not this – this _Doumeki's_!

All previous thoughts of gratefulness to the bird that had saved him fled Watanuki's mind completely – the eagle was a _rival _now, a competitor for Himawari's affections. The stupid _bird – _he'd probably snuck up and taken advantage of Himawari's delicate feelings one day, wriggling himself into conversation. Himawari had to have taken pity on him, that was it and Doumeki -

"Oi," Watanuki was so lost in his internal ire, shaking his fist at the sky, he didn't realise anyone was speaking at him, only coming to attention when someone dropped a _pebble _on his head.

"_Ow!" _He _glared _up at the window above him, focusing his rage on the impassive Doumeki. "_What did you do _that _for, you jerk?!"_

The eagle looked _down _at him, all haughty composure. (Watanuki suddenly wondered whether Yuuko would eat roasted eagle if he served it up to her on a plate.) "Don't space out in public, idiot."

"_I wasn't spacing out!!"_

"Hn," Doumeki looked aside.

"_Look at me when I'm talking to you!!" _Watanuki flailed, stomping his foot. _"You should be grateful the great Watanuki is taking the time out of his day to speak to such an insignificant life-form such as yourself!"_

"Hn," Doumeki said, and covered up his head with his wing to muffle Watanuki's ranting.

"_Say something other than _'hn', _you idiot!"_

Himawari laughed delightedly, and clapped her hands, _radiant _with the glow of her joy. In Watanuki's vision, sparkles fluttered off her in waves. "Watanuki-kun and Doumeki-kun get along so well!!"

Watanuki face-faulted, and ended up on his behind on the ground as he began sobbing his woes to the uncaring sky once more. Doumeki kept his wings over his head. Himawari giggled.

At least _someone _was amused.


	7. The Troublesome Fey

**Shadow: **Longer chapter this time, explaining a little of why it took a little longer to update. That, and being sick is bad for happy-happy writing.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter VII: The Troublesome Fey_**

_Once upon a time, a very, very long time ago, a sweet girl discovered what it was not to be born, but made. Her name was Chii, and she simply blinked her brown eyes open one morning and came to be. She had had no childhood but in many ways was herself a child, created to be innocent, to be sweet and guileless. She had the ears of a white kitten and long, silky gold hair, a need to be held, to be petted, to be loved. _

_Fai gave her everything. Fai was her world, her beginning and her end. Fai had _made _Chii, and when Chii thought of that time before she'd first awoken she could think only of sunshine and blue skies, never-ending warmth. Fai had made her with love and Chii had felt it, nuzzling into the boy's chest as soon as she had first stood, feeling his arms around her, the gentle timbre of his voice. Chii loved him, simply and purely, as she'd loved him before she'd came to be. _

_Chii never asked complicated questions. Fai had created her in the image of what he'd lost, an eternal childhood he was just a few steps out of for forever. She was a beloved pet, a little sister, a charming smile and laughter as they played in-between the trees together, tumbling in the leaves and grass. She clutched to his arm and he conjured up tiny butterflies to make her smile, bright blue insects that fluttered around her delighted head before disappearing back into the breeze. When the seasons changed and the winter came they curled up together before the roaring fire, both breathing soft and sweet as they lay twined together, lost in dreams. They made a pretty sight, and Ashura-ou would often cover them with a blanket when the fire died down, letting them rest, letting them have peace._

_Fai took her to see Yuui, the cursed twin fast asleep in the clearing in the forest. Chii thought that Yuui's bed looked very pretty, and went and picked the most perfect wildflowers she could find to lay upon the crystal case. Fai smiled at her when she did that, softly, softly, and Chii cuddled into his side and asked why it was that Yuui had been asleep for so long. _

"_He's very sick," Fai whispered to her hair, hands gentle and flat against Chii's back._

"_And sleeping will make him feel better?" Chii tilted her head, naively assuming Yuui's sickness was very much like the colds she'd experienced before, her small nose having wrinkled rather cutely up each time she'd sneezed._

"_No," Fai told her, and his voice was even softer, even sadder, and Chii made a distressed noise, pushing herself closer to her beloved Fai, nuzzling into the crook of the young man's neck, "but it will stop him getting worse."_

_Chii knew she wasn't _'real' – _not the way Fai was, or Ashura-ou was. It didn't matter though, not in her small world. Chii knew sometimes Fai didn't really mean it when he smiled, but she did her best to make him smile anyway, because that meant he was at least a _little _bit happy. Fai deserved to be happy. Fai deserved to stop hurting. Chii couldn't do everything, couldn't do much- but…still. Chii did what she could. For Fai._

* * *

Fai broke the surface of the pool with a gasp, rising from the depths to send a flash-fountain of droplets into the sky, breathing the water-mist from the waterfall into his lungs alongside fresh air. He treaded water for a few seconds afterwards, careful to stay away from the strongest currents, before swimming strongly over to the bank where Kurogane was waiting, reading some book that _didn't _look like his mangayan for a change. (And the wolf would strongly deny the fact he was 'waiting' as well, making sure Fai didn't drown himself. If Fai passed comment he knew he'd get some response like Kurogane was 'basking in the sun' – even though there were, of course, plenty of other places that the sun shone down on, and Kurogane could easily go and _bask _there instead.)

"Kuro-chan~," none of Fai's lilting was lost from his exercise, the blond happily folding his arms on the bank of the pool near his fiancé and propping his chin up. This close he could see a little of the book that had Kurogane so absorbed, strange sigils on the page that shifted and changed – "that's one of my magic books." Fai was honestly surprised, especially when Kurogane looked up and met his gaze, refusing to deny it. "Why are you-?"

"I like to be informed." The wolf's eyes were really rather unsettling, fixed and forceful and _pushing _at Fai insistently without words. A gaze that truly was cutting, slicing a man down to his core, when the man himself would much rather the predator's eyes were occupied by how aesthetically pleasing he looked doused in water from the pool.

Fai looked away, smiling. "The water's lovely, Kuro-pii; why don't you come for a swim? You could do the doggy-paddle!"

Kurogane growled lowly, a quiet rumble of disapproval at the other's elusive nature in the back of his throat. "I'm not swimming."

"_Aw," _Fai's pout was just as fake as his smile, nothing reaching his eyes. "Kuro-tan doesn't know what he's missing! The water here is good for spiritual and magical energy – it's a side-property from being so close to the entrance to the spirit mountain where a lot of the pure fey live. Going for a swim would make you feel clean, inside and out!"

Kurogane considered the other's words. "…For a human, you know a lot about the fey."

"Yuuko-san knows a lot about the fey too." Fai refused to focus on himself. "The good water here is probably why Yuuko-san built her shop on that island; this pool connects to her lake by the river -"

"You have a fey title too – 'D', isn't it?"

"Kuro-wankoro has such a good memory!" Fai _beamed, _raising his head so he could clap his hands, still propped on the bank by his elbows. "Did he do special memory training before he went to Yuuko-san's? I bet he was top of his class!"

Kurogane ignored the blond's attempts at misdirecting the conversation. "Why did the fey give one of their highest titles to a human?"

"…Perhaps they felt I deserved it, Kuro-chan." Grudgingly, Fai was forced to admit his fiancé wasn't going to kindly give in like he wanted him to. "You don't really get the option of saying 'no' when a faerie offers you something; it's considered exceedingly bad manners."

"And what did they offer you?"

"Ah," Fai slammed his hands down on the bank suddenly, pushing himself up and out of the water in one smooth move, "I suppose that depends on the faerie we're talking about, doesn't it?" Kurogane slammed shut the book he'd been reading to avoid getting it wet, water flicking off of Fai's skin as the blond stretched up into the air before flopping in a languid, pale sprawl at the shinobi's side, the smile painted on his features decidedly catlike. "Does Kuro-tan know any? They can be a lot of…_fun."_

Kurogane _glared. _He'd been attached to an idiot with absolutely _no _morals, hadn't he? As soon as this year was done he was going back to throttle the damned witch bare-handed, and he'd grab Ginryuu whilst he was there. He altered the subject slightly, heading back to his original drive. "You were raised by faeries, weren't you?"

"By _a _faerie," Fai stressed the singular, wary of the wolf's generalisation. He was being unusually forthcoming for a change, resting after his swim, _properly _basking in the heat from the sun overhead.

Kurogane – mostly – ignored him, one eye on the bare leg stretching out beside him. He didn't trust the mage not to be up to _some _kind of mischief. "I always thought you weren't all there in the head."

"Saaaa," Fai poked him in the side, "Kuro-wanko's being rude again."

Kurogane snapped at the hand used to poke him with his teeth. "Stop _poking _me and giving me those stupid nicknames!"

Fai quickly pulled the offending limb out of biting distance - and then brought it back again, patting Kurogane on the snout and making the wolf go cross-eyed. "Kuro-pupu should know better than to sit next to me by now then, hm?"

"_I was here first!"_

"My," Fai breathed out with a laugh, "Kuro-tan is so possessive! Perhaps he should learn to share?"

Kurogane jolted to his – four – feet, stalking away as Fai continued to laugh at him. "I'm going to go kill something. Stay the _hell _out of my way, idiot mage, or you'll be missing a head."

"But Kuro-pon~!" The blond's mirth was undying. "There's nothing you'd be allowed to kill in this forest!"

Kurogane turned on him. "What about the oni?"

"…Oni?" Fai's laughter trickled away, blue eyes widening as he looked at the wolf in mild confusion. "_What _oni?"

"The oni that live in this forest!" Kurogane had no patience when the idiot before him stalled.

"Kuro-piiiii," Fai pushed himself up from his sprawl, his expression for once serious as he looked at the other, "there _aren't _any oni in the forest – there haven't been for over three hundred years."

The wolf frowned at him, claws suddenly digging into the dirt beneath his feet. "…You're lying." His parents had been killed by – they'd come from the _forest. _Everyone in Nihon said so!

"No." Fai's voice was firm, his eyes for once unwavering, fixed on Kurogane's. "There are no oni in this forest. There haven't been any oni here for over three hundred years." Everyone in the forest _knew _so – Ashura-ou had had them all killed, flying into a rage when Fai had received a scratch from an encounter with one and ordering his Court to slaughter every oni left under the trees.

Kurogane met the other's solemn expression and, despite himself, believing the mage. There were no oni in the forest; there hadn't been any oni for a long time. As for what had attacked Suwa, then –

Fai rose to his feet when he saw Kurogane sit down, the wolf's expression twisted into a look of thought. A thinking Kurogane, the blond had already learned, boded ill for anyone close enough to be asked questions. "…I'm going to go change."

Kurogane didn't hear him, too lost for that short while in his past. Too many mysteries had been swept under the carpet already – this thing couldn't stay hidden any longer.

* * *

The sun bled to a violent death in the sky, crimson clashing with encroaching violet and the scarlet-tipped black of the clouds being pushed in by the late evening breeze. The gusts swept down from the ether, skimming the lake's surface and chasing up a flurry of ripples, twining through the trees in Yuuko's garden and lifting the gossamer-fine strands of the witch's dark hair as she sat on her house's porch, gazing up at the scene. She idly swilled the sake she held for a few seconds before downing it in one, setting the empty container down beside her as she savoured the quick burning taste.

"Yuuko, Yuuko!" The black Mokona bounded around the edge of the porch, leaping into the witch's lap from quite a way away and snuggling down immediately into soft purple folds. Yuuko's kimono was the same colour as the softer evening sky, the quiet brushing the edges of the dying day.

"Mokona," the witch smiled down at the happy creature, "I thought you were with the other Mokona and Watanuki?" That had been where most of the yelling in the house had come from when she'd last been inside.

"Other Mokona and Watanuki were playing 'catch'!" Mokona brightly reported. (Meaning: both Mokona had actually managed to infuriate Watanuki enough – again – to get the boy to chase them around the kitchen, most likely waving either a spoon or a broomstick.)

Yuuko petted the creature in her lap, letting Mokona snuggle up to her hand. "Didn't you want to play as well?"

"Mokona wanted to come see Yuuko!" Mokona piped, looking up very seriously. "Watanuki and other Mokona were together and Yuuko was alone – Mokona didn't think it was very fair! Why was Yuuko alone on the porch? Mokona is Yuuko's drinking buddy!"

"I wanted to come see the sunset." Yuuko was quietly touched by the sentiment, "before it rains."

Mokona still looked solemn. "Yuuko can see the rain coming?"

One pale finger stroked along Mokona's rabbit-like long ears. "It's coming."

The creature pressed closer to her, seeking warmth. "Mokona doesn't want that time to ever come - it'll be sad, and Mokona is unhappy when everyone is sad."

Yuuko petted the little creature, offering what little comfort she could. "The time _must _come…all things have their beginning, and all things must have their end."

The black Mokona was silent for a few minutes, watching the last of the sun drop away below the horizon. "Mokona…doesn't remember what it was like before Watanuki came; Mokona and the other Mokona were asleep. Was it very quiet, Yuuko? Mokona can only think of quiet when Mokona thinks of sleeping."

Yuuko continued to pet the Mokona in her lap, stroking dark fur as she looked at the sky. Mokona huddled in her kimono, unusually morose. "It was quiet for a very long time."

* * *

The rain plipped and dripped as it fell from the clouds above, a steady drumming on the ground as it tinkled and splashed in the pool, Nature's own special music. It was a melodic, soothing sound, steady as the clouds swirling in the sky above, the measured rate with which Fai downed the drink he had in his hand – the third bottle of sake that evening.

"Going to stand there all night, Kuro-wanko?" Fai spoke to the man behind him, practice having taught him not to bother turning around to glance at the figure he could _feel _standing there. Sitting on the actual window-ledge with the pane pushed open was the only way Fai could see anything in the house at night – looking anywhere else would only show darkness. Kurogane could be a dreadful inconvenience to have around.

"That depends," Fai heard the other's footfalls approaching him, the _clink_ as Kurogane disturbed the still-full bottles Fai had brought to the window with him, cracking one open to gulp some of it down. There were plenty left for the long night ahead; he had to do _something _to occupy himself, and walking was out of the question due to the inconsiderate weather. "Will you continue to drink yourself to death if I let you be, idiot mage?"

"Kuro-tan has no faith~," the words were gurgling, their tail-end drowned by the last of the alcohol in Fai's hand. He dropped the bottle to the carpet inside the window, glass hitting the floor with a dull _thud _as he bent to pick up another.

"I'm not the faithless one."

The laughter was shocked out of Fai by the cutting remark, and he lowered the bottle he'd been about to drink from, feeling cold glass press hard through the material of his trousers, smiling into the rain. "…I personify everything Kuro-chan hates the most, don't I?"

Kurogane shifted again, standing directly behind the blond – Fai could feel the other's body heat behind his back, hear Kurogane's breathing over the rain. "And then some." Let no one ever say the shinobi couldn't be blunt. "In my country it is the practice to honour the vows you make, no matter how insincerely they were made."

"How _loyal, _Kuro-pup – just like a good doggy!" Fai leaned a little more firmly against the window ledge, the edge digging into the crown of his head. "Fai-kitty would've taken you walkies tonight, but kitties hate the rain."

"You went swimming easily enough."

"But _ah, _Kuro-pon," Fai held up one finger as if imparting some great knowledge, "don't you know getting wetter when wet and soggy when dry are two entirely different things? The latter is a great inconvenience, but the first is no trouble at all!"

There was a measured silence for a few moments. "…You're an idiot."

Fai's smile was back. "So Kuro-tan tells me."

Again, there was more silence. Fai raised his bottle from his lap, cracking it open and taking a drink, feeling Kurogane mimic the motions behind him with his own sake. The rain continued to patter down, dripping along the edges of their house, a quiet static in the background that made the dead conversation between the reluctant couple slightly more acceptable.

"Kuro-sama…"

"Hn?" The slosh of liquid as a bottle was tilted away from a mouth, expectant silence.

"Do you like the rain?" Fai stretched his free hand out of the window; feeling droplets of water hit his skin immediately. "It's such an aggressive, destructive thing – giving life and taking it away in the same shower burst."

Kurogane moved to lean against the wall, giving his fiancé breathing room – Fai heard the quiet sound of the other's back hit the stone. "Rain is a necessary. Whether I like it or not is completely irrelevant."

Fai's lips quirked; he'd thought Kurogane would say something like that. "…There are over a thousand different worlds inside every raindrop – all of them vanish the moment the droplet smashes itself to death on the ground." He brought his hand back to his person, studying the roll of a bead of water down one pale finger thoughtfully, before shaking it away, expression strange. "We're watching the death of endless worlds."

"Are you afraid that that makes you a murderer?" Fai jolted at the question, surprised at Kurogane's sudden keen insight – the changed-wolf wouldn't have had to see his face to realise he'd hit a nerve of some sort. "…Hn." A _clink _of glass, Kurogane setting his then-empty bottle down with the other discards. "I'm going to bed. Do as you like as usual, idiot mage, but I doubt I'll be hearing from you again until your obnoxious attempts at whistling over breakfast."

Fai didn't reply, remaining frozen in place until he heard the other tread away, the _click _of the door to the room opening and closing as Kurogane made his way out. Then, and only then, did Fai relax, pressing back into the window ledge, blank gaze following the rain.

Inwardly, he thought Kurogane would probably make a good seer. The wolf's predictions about _him _certainly seemed to be right most of the time, anyway.

* * *

"…Yuuko-san's making you make hishimoshi for the girl's festival."

"Yes," terse sounds of stirring, a bowl being beaten into submission.

"…When it isn't time for the festival for almost another year."

"That's right."

Syaoran watched Watanuki continued to vengefully stir…whatever he was stirring; the white Mokona perched on his brown hair peering curiously over at the muttering black-haired youth. "Does Yuuko-san do this sort of thing very often?"

"_Yes!" _Watanuki's prompt yell of a reply made Syaoran immediately regret asking the question, the more exuberant of the two teens launching into a long-winded rant against the evil that was Ichihara Yuuko. (The witch had a last name?)

Mokona chose that moment to hop from the brunet's head to his shoulder, imparting an important secret in a stage-whisper directly into Syaoran's ear. "Mokona thinks Watanuki had too much sugar this morning."

"And _you _can pipe down as well!" Watanuki swung around in Mokona's direction, still very much worked-up, but the little creature's placement on Syaoran's shoulder meant that the brunet himself came under attack, looking down, slightly bewildered, at the wrong end of a gooey spoon that had all but been shoved in front of his innocent nose. "Er -" awkward silence.

Syaoran opted to be the better man – of sorts -, and generously pretended he wasn't being held at spoon-point, carrying on with the conversation they'd been attempting to have before Watanuki's outburst. "…Yuuko-san gave me a job to do tomorrow," it was his second 'quest', in fact, "and she told me to take you with me. That is…if Watanuki-kun wouldn't mind?" Yuuko had _strongly _suggested Watanuki be taken with him – she'd refused to say why, and only commented that the time Watanuki was gone from the shop Syaoran would make up for -, but Syaoran still couldn't help but feel he was imposing his wish upon the other boy.

Watanuki hastily lowered his spoon and hid it behind his back. "…It's important, isn't it?" His actions were just a shade off of ludicrous, but his strange blue eyes were serious. "This job…it's important to Syaoran-kun, isn't it?" Because Yuuko was 'suggesting' he go along.

Syaoran met his gaze squarely – honestly. "Yes." This job was necessary.

"Then I'll go," Syaoran felt a flush of gratitude at Watanuki's instant response.

"You're sure?" Watanuki had no obligation to help him.

"I'll go." The spoon-waving chef/slave to Yuuko nodded again, resolute.

Syaoran smiled – his expression small, but real, grateful for the other boy's kindness. "Thank you."

* * *

Yuui's blue eyes were warm and forgiving, gentle as the fingers he ran through his brother's hair, smoothing out the golden threads fanned out across his lap. He smiled down at Fai and his twin drowsily returned the expression, mind lost in the yellow haze of the forest in summer, soft and lazy and languid. It was peaceful there, a late afternoon lull, the warmth that had existed between them since the womb, the glimmering echo of a stray leaf fluttering down from one of the many trees.

Somewhere there was a bee, its happy buzz a comforting background drone, and Fai smiled a little more at the thought of such an industrial little worker in the middle of paradise, the insect's glowing fur brushing up against the many flowers, continuing the circle of rightness, of wholeness, of life eternal. Yuui's fingers continued to move through his hair, soothing, his twin's lap welcoming to Fai's head. There was something that should've been troubling him, something about this scene, this warmth, this arcadia, but –

'_Don't you think it's time to wake up?'_

Fai glanced upwards at the sound of his brother's voice, Yuui's smile just as gentle as before. "You don't want me here?" A pang of sorrow struck his heart then, that his other half would push him away.

'_I want you to be happy.'_

Fai's slight grief eased, and he closed his eyes once more, settling comfortably again. "I'm happy here."

Yuui's fingers had stilled in his hair. _'There are different kinds of happiness.'_

Fai's smile dropped away and he sat up, looking at his brother. "…Can't you be mine?"

'_Fai…' _Fai consented to be held, his head drawn into the crook of Yuui's neck, breathing in the comforting scent of the trees, of old parchment lovingly kept, of the first drifts of falling snow. _Yuui – _his brother, his twin, his better half. _'Wake up now, please. Dreams are a refuge for the troubled, not their domain.'_

So Fai obliged the wishes of his twin, and woke up. To the morning, to the house he shared with the enchanted Kurogane, to find himself not face-down on the couch where he'd fallen asleep the night before, but flat on his back on the floor, the couch some way away, staring up into the face of an exceedingly irate wolf.

"Kuro-wanko," the blond said rather conversationally by means of a greeting, even as his mind scrambled to work out just _why _it was his placement in the room had changed, "do you know you have awfully bad morning breath? Fai-kitty will see if he can get you some mints or something, because _seriously, _Kuro-pon, it smells like something just died in here."

The wolf slammed a paw down on his stomach rather vindictively.

"_Owww~!" _The blow had hurt, but not so much that Fai had to yelp so loudly. _"Kuro-tan, that was _mean!"

"When I came down this morning _you," _the wolf growled, unmindful of the sulky pout being aimed his way, "were face-down on the couch, and you _weren't breathing."_

Fai defended his injured pride – and abdomen. "I usually sleep that way."

"_Dead?!" _Kurogane removed his paw, stepping back from the mage's person.

"Admittedly, that bit may be a bit new…" Fai propped himself up on his elbows, eyeing the wolf. "Kuro-chi didn't give me mouth-to-mouth did he?"

Kurogane looked dour. "You came around on your own." _Thankfully. _Irritating as the blond was, Kurogane needed him to break the curse – if it _had _actually come to resuscitating the idiot…

"Kuro-chan's _sure?" _Fai looked deliberately doubtful. "For all I know Kuro-myu could secretly be a pervert! _Ee,_" the prince leapt to his feet suddenly, pointing an accusing finger down at his fiancé, "I've been molested by Kuro-pon the _pervert!!"_

"_What?!"_

"Pervert, _pervert~! _Kuro-pi's a _pervert~!"_

"_Why couldn't you have _stayed _dead?!!"_

* * *

"There's one!" The sound of feet racing through shallow water.

"Where?" Slightly deeper water, hands flailing about under the surface

"There, right by your feet!"

"I don't see a – _agh_!" There was a tremendous _splash._

The neko musume - the faerie and cat girl - pouted as she saw her two current trading partners take yet _another _tumble in the pool they were so merrily splashing about in, both boys landing squarely on their behinds in the wet.

"I'm _hungry," _she made sure to make her complaint audible to the two humans, sitting up from where she'd been sprawled on the grass beside the pool.

"You've had four fish already!" Watanuki scrambled up from where he'd been sitting in the water, soaking wet.

"The deal was for _six._" The neko musume was a cat, and she wasn't being cheated out of her dinner. "I want six fish, or I shan't tell you anything."

Syaoran looked at her, serious. "You'll get your six fish."

Their faerie companion couldn't do anything but listen to the boy – he had too honest a gaze. Grumbling, she lay back down again. "I should hope so." The kudakitsune, curled up beside her on the bank, nodded in agreement. Dinner was a very important thing.

Watanuki and Syaoran went back to fishing – that is, they went back to scrambling around in the water in the vain attempt at catching a fish with their bare hands. It was tiring, boring work, the whole process made inevitably harder by the fact the kudakitsune, waiting on the bank, would often get _just _as bored watching, and randomly attack Watanuki with kisses at sporadic intervals. This inevitably made the dark-haired boy flail and dance, kicking up a great deal of water and scaring all of the fish Syaoran had been painstakingly luring closer away.

They were on Syaoran's 'quest', Yuuko having whispered the next item she wanted into the brunet's ear the night before. It belonged to the Zashiki-warashi apparently, the virginal sprite that hardly _ever _left the spirit mountain. (She was a very shy faerie.) And since the Ame-warashi had sealed off the entrance to the spirit mountain that was just above the waterfall near Fai and Kurogane's home –

"Here's another one." Syaoran tossed the fifth fish they'd managed to catch to the neko musume, the cat-girl snatching it out of the air and gulping it down still-wriggling. "One more to go!!"

They'd made a deal with the faerie, when they'd found her. Six fish – the neko musume was hungry – for the directions on how to get to another entrance to the spirit fountain, and instructions on how to get inside. Finding the Zashiki-warashi after that would be their problem.

"Last one!" It was Watanuki who actually managed to catch the sixth and final fish, holding the wriggling thing up and managing to get slapped in the face by an indignant fin before he passed the doomed lunch across to the eagerly waiting neko musume.

The faerie gulped it down just like she'd done the other five, licking her fingers and her lips before fixing the two human boys before her with a lazy smile. "…The directions then." She pointed to her left with one hand. "If you continue straight on that way, you'll pass by an old house built into a tree on your left. When you see it look to your right – there'll be a massive wall of blackberry thorns. The entrance to the spirit mountain is on the other side of the brambles, a tunnel set into a rock wall. The tunnel's only visible to you if you successfully make your way through the thorn-wall without spilling _any _blood whatsoever - the plants are hungry there; some kind of weird magic got into their stems long ago and made them go bad. They'll tear apart anyone who attempts to go through and sheds blood on them."

"…Killer plants." Watanuki's token look of horror was almost amusing, especially since the kudakitsune had resumed its loveheart emissions from around the boy's neck.

"Yep~!" The neko-musume looked far too cheerful at the prospect.

"And that's really the _nearest _entrance to the spirit mountain?" Watanuki was not looking forward to facing killer plants.

"The nearest one humans can get through, mm-hm." The neko-musume nodded, still proverbially bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "The others are a few days hike away."

Syaoran glanced at Watanuki, seeing the other boy's obvious reluctance to tackle homicidal thorns. "Are they protected as well?"

"Oh yes!" Happy nodding from the faerie. "One of them's guarded by a kelpie who puts you to sleep and drowns you in his pond, and the other one's really old and full of traps. Even the _fey _don't use that entrance."

So they had the choice of death by plants, water-horses, or booby traps. Watanuki was _not impressed. _"…The fey in the spirit mountain don't really like visitors, do they?"

Syaoran and Watanuki (and the kudakitsune) went on their way, waved after rather cheerily by the neko musume. They walked for a while and eventually spotted the tree-house the faerie had told them about, a hollowed out, dark looking place, the air around it almost _sour. _It left a bad taste in both boys' mouths and they immediately switched their attention to the wall of blackberry brambles opposite it – an impressive, daunting tangle, thorns long and razor-sharp.

It took two _hours _to get through the thorns. Syaoran pulled out his sword, hacking away the stems of the plant, politely requesting Watanuki stay firmly _back _until he'd cleared an adequate enough path for them to traverse without scratching themselves and bleeding. Watanuki kept back as asked, though he spent all the time casting somewhat nervous glances at the abandoned tree-house behind him, disliking the poisonous atmosphere that seemed to seep out of the place. When Syaoran had cleared a path he was up on his feet immediately, Syaoran himself refusing a rest as they pressed on for the tunnel the neko musume had spoken about – Syaoran didn't speak aloud, but the house troubled him with the feeling hanging around it as well.

"This is the way to the spirit mountain?" Watanuki stopped before a rock-face on the other side of the now very shorn brambles. A dark tunnel was set into the face, easily wide enough for two people to enter into side-by-side, stretching off into the unknown.

"Yes." Syaoran looked ahead, "that's what the neko musume said." And faeries didn't lie. They could tell some misleading half-truths, but they didn't lie. Syaoran wasn't sure if it was an innate law of the race or not, but it was something that had never been proven wrong.

They went into the tunnel together, side-by-side. Barely a few paces in and they couldn't see anything at all, only aware of each other's presence by the sound of soft breathing, the occasional bump of hands.

"…Does Syaoran-kun have many more of these missions to do for Yuuko-san?" Watanuki's voice echoed through the black as they kept walking. "Your work for her seems a lot more…_specific _than mine, so…you have a set contract as a price for your wish?"

"Yes, that's right." Syaoran answered in the direction the other was. "I have one more big job for Yuuko-san after this, and then she said she will grant me my wish."

"Syaoran-kun is very lucky then." The brunet could _hear _Watanuki drooping. "Yuuko-san still hasn't said when my price will be paid sufficiently enough for her to grant me my wish."

Syaoran pitied the other boy; he really did. "I'm sure your wish will be granted someday soon." There was no reply. "Watanuki-kun?"

Again, no answer.

"Watanuki-kun?!" Syaoran stretched out a hand in the darkness, meeting nothing but air. The other boy had been _right beside him. _Where had Watanuki _gone_?

* * *

_Watanuki _was busy staring up at amazingly blue sky, wondering just how it was he'd been whisked out of the tunnel he'd been in and flat onto his back in a field of long grass within half a step. The kudakitsune was still twined around his neck, its little head butting his cheek repeatedly, checking he was alright. (At least, that was what Watanuki _thought _it was doing.)

"_Aieeeeeeeee!" _The shriek coming from a little way away made Watanuki bolt into an upright seating position, immediately alert. That had sounded like a child –

Something small, red-purple and vaguely child-sized burst through the long grass on Watanuki's left side, its eyes widening in horror when it saw someone in front of it but unable to stop, tripping over Watanuki's still-laid-out form in a tangle of limbs and tail.

Wait – _tail?!_

Watanuki had barely a few milliseconds to gawk at the little yukata-wearing fox he had sprawled over him before something _else _burst out through the long grass, large and dark and looming over them in a sinister miasma. A spirit – and a malicious one at that.

The kudakitsune slid away from Watanuki's person immediately, the boy himself instinctively rolling away and shielding the child-sized fox in his arms as the pipe-fox suddenly transformed into a much _larger _creature – ears pointed, eyes slitted, and nine tails lashing the ground, absolutely indignant that something would _dare _to threaten its human. Fire appeared in its mouth, blasted at the sinister spirit that had been chasing the little fox, the searing heat making the spirit recoil, thrashing in pain, fleeing for its life.

The kudakitsune watched the spirit go, making a very much put-upon '_huff' _noise before padding back to Watanuki's side, peering over at the _other _fox in the boy's arms, who was looking up at Watanuki wide-eyed, shyly, just a few steps off of 'adoring'. Rather jealously the kudakitsune transformed back into its smaller form, curling around Watanuki's neck and _glaring _at the now-larger fox still being cradled in his human's arms.

The glare seemed to bring the little fox back to his senses, and he pulled away from Watanuki, all but trembling in gratitude. "T-thank you so much!"

Watanuki shook his head. "I didn't really do anything -"

"Thank you!" The little fox spirit was having none of Watanuki's protests, paws clasped and eyes looking suspiciously watery. "You – you saved my life!"

Watanuki rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Well -"

"Please come with me!" The spirit caught hold of Watanuki's hand, tugging on it, the fur around his face pinkening slightly in embarrassment. "Please. Come and meet my otou-san."

Watanuki consented to be pulled to his feet, petting the rather envious kudakitsune coiled around his throat (and _still _glaring). "…Could you at least tell me where I am first, please?" Standing up Watanuki could see the long expanse of the sloping field he stood in, surrounded on all sides by dense trees. Not that Watanuki didn't have his – strong – suspicions as to the location, but a little confirmation would be greatly appreciated.

The little fox beamed at him, glad to be able to repay him a little by answering his question. "The spirit mountain, of course!"

Of course.

Watanuki continued to allow himself to be dragged along.

* * *

Syaoran emerged from the tunnel into light, still without Watanuki. He'd checked the whole tunnel – twice – and even went back to the brambles to look for the boy, to no avail. It was as if the black-haired youth had walked straight off the edge of the earth, swallowed up by a magical hole that had opened up beneath his feet and vanished a few seconds later.

Eventually, accepting the other boy was nowhere to be found; Syaoran emerged onto the side of the tunnel that could only be the spirit mountain, taking in the complete change of scenery. The ground sloped upwards – leading to the mountain's peak, Syaoran could only assume -, covered in rolling fields of long grass and dense patches of whispering trees. The air was purer than it had been back in the 'ordinary' forest, the scent of magic a tingling presence in the air.

Syaoran walked for a long while, having no real idea of where he was going. The Zashiki-warashi could be _anywhere _in this place, and as for Watanuki… (How much would Yuuko charge for a new assistant?)

"I would not recommend continuing on that way if I were you, child," a stranger's voice spoke when Syaoran set foot under a copse of trees. Looking around for its source he spotted a dark, curly-haired woman reclining against a tree, clad in all black. There was the tattoo of a clover just below her collarbone, attentive green eyes fixed on Syaoran's movements. "Unless you are looking for the Faerie Court?"

…The woman was a faerie? There was definitely a presence around her – Syaoran approached her, on his guard. "Could I find the Zashiki-warashi there?"

"There?" The woman before him laughed, a rich sound. _"Anywhere _but there, child. The Court intrigue is poisonous to one as innocent as her."

"Could you tell me where it is I could find her?" Then, remembering his manners, "please?"

"Since you asked so nicely…" the faerie's head rolled back, her curls tumbling over her pale shoulder as she raised one hand, pointing in the opposite direction to which Syaoran was facing, "if you continue directly that way, you should eventually come to a large lake in the middle of some trees. The virginal sprite likes to play her flute there, away from everyone else. It's quite a walk though, child…"

"Thank you for your aid." The distance didn't matter. Hopefully, the long walk would give him time to bump into Watanuki if Watanuki had somehow ended up elsewhere in this strange place.

Syaoran set off in the direction the faerie had given him, keeping to as straight a path as possible, heading up the slope. It was hard, with the uncertain terrain, but his progress was pretty good – if a little slow. He went through three sets of trees and quite a few fields before he felt a new moisture in the air, hearing the sound of moving water and the lilt of a flute. The melody came to him on the breeze, soothing, and Syaoran smiled slightly –

Only to find himself batted – _hard - _on the back of the head with a paper fan.

"What do you think you're doing here?!" An irate little…_thing _was riding a red board in mid-air, glowering at him over his sunglasses, a paper fan held aggressively in hand.

"Yeah!"

"You human, you!"

"Trying to sneak into seeing the Zashiki-warashi, are you?"

"You'd make her cry!"

There were _five _of them, all scowling down from various points in the air from their boards, decked out in blue and red. None of them looked happy to see Syaoran, the one nearest to him giving him another hearty _thwack _with his fan again.

Syaoran attempted to defend himself. "I'm not here to make the Zashiki-warashi cry -"

"He'll do _worse!" _The little thing Syaoran had decided had to be the 'leader' of the tiny mob overrode the brunet's words, ignoring them completely.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"We can't allow that!"

"No, we can't!"

"_Get him!"_

The five things swooped in at Syaoran from different directions, swallow dives from the air. Syaoran ducked their blows out of instinct, dodging under their boards and taking off at a sprint in the direction the flute-playing was coming from.

The _things, _realising their prey was heading for their beloved mistress, were immediately up-in-arms.

"_AFTER HIM!"_

* * *

"This is delicious~!" Watanuki was all sparkles as he tucked into the oden the father of the little fox he'd helped before had made. The kudakitsune settled beside Watanuki's bowl nodded its agreement, helping itself to a chunk of tofu.

"Thank you," the father fox kept cooking, topping up Watanuki's bowl. His son peered from around the older fox's yakuta, having resumed his original shyness. "But it's little in way of repayment – you saved my son from the evil spirit that was attacking him. A human helping a fox…how can I ever repay you?"

"It was nothing!" Watanuki flailed, dropping his chopsticks and blushing at the praise. "The kudakitsune did the real work, not me!"

"But it is your guardian, is it not? It would not have stepped in unless you had."

"The praise isn't really necessary." Watanuki looked to the little fox. "I'm just glad he's alright – I know what it's like to be chased by those things."

"Yes…" The elder fox seemed to take in the aura around the human, "you would, wouldn't you?"

The rest of the meal was conducted in relative silence, Watanuki and the kudakitsune eating their fill. When they were done Watanuki _insisted _on washing up, carrying his bowl and chopsticks over to the nearest sink. "…I don't suppose you know where I could find the Zashiki-warashi?" Finding the faerie would hit two birds with one stone – Syaoran would probably be making his way towards her as well, and they could be united again.

"I do, actually – she usually sits in the middle of a lake not far from here, guarded by the tengu-karasu while she plays her flute." The older fox brought more plates across, helped by his son.

"Could you point me that way?" Watanuki set about drying the bowls he'd already washed. He tried to start washing some more but the older fox stopped him, placing a paw on his hand.

"Please, let me."

"But I -"

"This i-is…for you." The little fox tugged on the end of Watanuki's shirt, stretching up to offer the human a little bag. "Imagawayaki. With red bean paste."

Watanuki smiled again, crouching down to accept the gift. "Thank you very much."

The little fox coloured again, fur darkening as he dropped the bag in Watanuki's hold and went to hide behind his father again.

Watanuki left the home of the foxes a little while later with the kudakitsune firmly attached to him once more, pointed in the direction of the Zashiki-warashi's usual haunt. He found himself under some trees in no time at all, hearing flute music on the wind. Making his way towards the source he quickly happened upon the lake the foxes had told him about, easily catching sight of the rather pretty girl he could see floating in a kneeling position above the water, playing on her instrument.

Hesitantly, he called out to her. "…Hello?"

The playing stopped abruptly, the flute yanked away from the Zashiki-warashi's lips as her blue eyes flared wide and she scrambled to move, only to fall out of mid-air and land in the pool below her with a _splash. _Watanuki immediately waded in to help her, both of them blushing and stuttering and apologising and absolutely drenched, stumbling a little as their soggy clothes hung heavy around their rather waifish frames.

The Zashiki-warashi kept a cave near the little lake, a rather simple place where she kept a change of clothes for herself, the case for her flute. Watanuki waited outside for her whilst she changed, his own clothes drying so quickly he could scarcely believe he'd just emerged from a large body of water. It had to be an enchantment of some sort –

The Zashiki-warashi came out, dressed in a new kimono, and Watanuki leapt to his feet. "I'm sorry that I startled you."

"Y-you," the virgin sprite wrung her hands together, head bowed low, "you're the witch's apprentice, aren't you? Who lives in the forest?"

"Er -" well, 'apprentice' sounded a lot better than '_slave', _"you could call me that, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you." Watanuki extended a hand to the faerie, only to realise that was the hand he was holding the bag the little fox had given him with. On a whim he opened it, offering it to his companion. "Would you like one?"

Shyly, the girl looked up. "You're…offering one…to me?" Watanuki nodded and, just as timidly, the Zashiki-warashi reached in to pluck an imagawayaki from the bag, her whole face going pink with her blush. "Th-thank you."

Watanuki rubbed the back of his head with his hand, a little embarrassed. "It's nothing big – it's only some imagawayaki, which I didn't even make. I'm sorry it's not more -"

"_No!" _The Zashiki-warashi only turned a darker colour when Watanuki stared at her for her little outburst, clutching the imagawayaki more closely to her chest. "This – this i-is lovely. Thank you." She seemed truly sincere, bowing her head again.

Watanuki continued to stew in his own embarrassment, the feeling only increasing when he realised that the Zashiki-warashi's shoulders were shaking and she was sniffing – "Please don't cry!" Watanuki _flailed _in the face of crying girls.

The Zashiki-warashi looked up at him, still sniffling, wiping her eyes with one pale finger –

And then Syaoran burst through the trees at their side in a dead sprint, running between the two with five little goblin-things in hot pursuit.

"He's after the Zashiki-warashi!"

"He'll make her cry!"

"The rotten human!"

"Foul thing!"

"_Get him!!"_

Watanuki stepped back when the five…they had to be the tengu-karasu swooshed past in their fit of righteous fury, waving their paper fans menacingly at the still-sprinting Syaoran.

Surprised, Watanuki stared after the fleeing brunet. "Syaoran-kun!"

"_Watanuki-kun?!" _Syaoran's call flew back over his shoulder at Watanuki, brown eyes wide and suddenly grateful that he'd found the other boy again. He turned around to face Watanuki and the Zashiki-warashi, ducking down as the tengu-karasu flew over his head, and then took off at a run for his friend and the faerie again.

The tengu-karasu were quick to wheel around once they realised they'd sailed straight over the prey, making quick u-turns in the air as they put on speed, trying to catch hold of the one that was threatening their beloved mistress.

Syaoran dived past Watanuki.

Watanuki felt the kudakitsune slip from around his neck, and transform into its larger self once more, taking up a defensive position.

The Zashiki-warashi darted in front of the two humans, standing before the approaching spirits with her arms outstretched. "Please stop!"

The tengu-karusu attempted to grind to a halt mid-air to avoid hitting the girl, but momentum sent the ones at the back of the group colliding rather painfully with the ones at the front, the whole lot of them shrieking and falling out of the sky to land in a groaning heap on the ground.

Watanuki stared at them, wondering why someone as sweet as the Zashiki-warashi had such stupid spirits following her. Syaoran panted, bent double as he clutched his knees for support and tried to get his breath back. The Zashiki-warashi turned around to look at the brunet, and looked apologetic. The tengu-karasu continued to groan.

Afterwards, they sat and ate the imagawayaki together, enjoying the good food. The Zashiki-warashi kept blushing at Watanuki, Watanuki kept scolding the kudakitsune for attempting to eat the rest of the treats, Syaoran kept edging away from the still-suspicious tengu-karasu and the tengu-karasu continued to glare – although they did appreciate the food.

"You wanted something from me?" The Zashiki-warashi almost seemed to be attempting to hide behind her food as she looked at Syaoran, the story having slipped out over the imagawayaki.

"Yes…" Syaoran nodded, resuming his earnest expression once more. "It's an egg, Yuuko-san said. A very special egg."

"Oh…" the Zashiki-warashi clasped her hands, fireflies suddenly sweeping in from the lake and clustering together in her palms, glowing a beautiful, brilliant blue. When they departed again a smooth egg remained behind, glowing softly. "This is it." She stretched her hands out, offering the egg to Syaoran with a blush. "You may have it."

Syaoran looked at her. "…I haven't paid for it."

"You…you helped my friend find a song for her present to me, didn't you?" The Zashiki-warashi continued to hold the egg out, bowing her head and letting her dark hair hide a little of the flush on her face. "Please take it. I'm sorry I've been such a trouble to you today."

"You haven't -"

"Please take it." If the Zashiki-warashi got any redder she was going to burst into flames.

Syaoran took the egg, feeling the smooth shell in his hands, warm and fragile. "Thank you very much."

"Thank you," Watanuki echoed, smiling brightly at the Zashiki-warashi.

The poor girl flushed all the way down her neck, and buried her head in her hands.

* * *

Kurogane waited in the late afternoon for Fai to come back to the house, restraining the urge – somehow – to pace impatiently around the garden. The idiot mage had vanished for a few days again to return to his home – six days this time, almost a whole week. Kurogane didn't know what effect the blond's absence had on his breaking of the wolf's curse, brooding over Fai's stupid ways whilst the idiot was gone.

At least, he supposed, the idiot had told him to his _face _(or snout) that he was going this time, a little braver than leaving a letter on his pillow. He'd mentioned it over dinner, almost _daring _Kurogane to try and disagree with him, and Kurogane had brushed it off with his usual eloquence, a dismissive 'tch'.

"_Kuro-chaaaaannnn~!" _Kurogane _heard _the idiot before he saw him, and when he saw him, he wished he hadn't. Fai was waving madly, beaming his usual idiotic grin, taking up the distance between them at a run. Kurogane tried to get up from where he'd been sitting but Fai had already accosted him, leaping upon the wolf, looping his arms around the wolf's neck and completely ignoring all immediate attempts on Kurogane's behalf to get away. "Did Kuro-wanko miss me whilst I was gone?"  
_"Like hell I did!"_

Fai snuzzled against the wolf's side, digging pale fingers into dark fur and making the shinobi yelp. "Kuro-pii is always so _cute _when he's shy!"  
"I am _not _shy!" Kurogane finally wriggled free of the blond menace, rounding on the idiot with the full intention of giving him a verbal tongue-lashing with accompanying teeth –

Only to get a brightly - and badly - wrapped present shoved in his face.  
" - The _hell?" _The wolf managed. Where had _that _come from?  
Fai beamed at him. "I brought you a souvenir!"

"_I don't want your souvenir!"_

"Kuro-tan should at least _open _it first!" Fai all but bounced in his seat, clapping his hands together and all but _sparkling._

Kurogane growled at him. "My name is _Kurogane. _Not 'Kuro-pii', not 'Kuro-chan', not 'Kuro-tan' – _Kurogane."_

"Yes, yes," Fai flapped his hands, brushing the comment off. "Is Kuro-chii going to open his present now?"

"_It's Kuro_gane, _damn you!"_

"_Present, _Kuro-wankoro!" Fai put his hand over the other's snout, holding the wolf's mouth shut. "After I went to such great lengths to bring it back for you-!!" He assumed an expression of woe. "Kuro-chan is so _cruel!" _

This close…Fai smelled _clean. _It wasn't as if…it didn't smell like he'd just been washed or anything, but that musk that had hung around him the last time he'd come back from visiting his home wasn't present, although a slight bitterness still clung to him. Fai had been with someone – but not _with _them, a passing brush of arms, a brief kiss to that pale forehead.

Kurogane wriggled free of the other's hold again, reluctantly turning towards the 'souvenir' Fai had brought him. It was a long thing, wrapped up in cloth and string which Fai, seeing he finally had the wolf's attention where he wanted it, unwound, revealing the beautifully-decorated sheath inside.

A sword.

Fai pulled it free from its sheath to show him it – it was a fine piece of work, the metal folded and folded and folded to purity, the colour of moonlight on ice.

"It's a fey blade," the blond said a little unnecessarily from the side, after a few moments of silence. "One of the best to have come out of the workshops in years, leagues above their other work."

"And you're giving it to me." Kurogane looked at the mage, suspicious. It was a beautiful, well-crafted sword – many warriors would _kill _to possess such a weapon.

Fai nodded. "As…an engagement gift." _'And an apology,' _hung in the air unsaid. "It's called Souhi."

"'Blue Ice'," Kurogane translated, and the name seemed a good one to him. "Appropriate…but I can't accept it." He raised one paw at the mage rather dispiritedly. "No hands."

"A warrior must have his blade," Fai insisted. "And you have your hands at night, don't you? You could do your training exercises then, in the space beside the house. The area's already charmed – it would take little to wake up the magic there, and shield you from the sight of others that might attempt to watch."

"…You don't do magic." Kurogane had never _seen _the mage work any actual magic, anyway.

"I wouldn't need to do any." Fai busied himself with sheathing the sword again, not meeting the shinobi's gaze. "It would just be a case of poking what's already there."

Kurogane still didn't trust him. "And why would you do that?"

Fai laughed at the question, finishing his task and raising his hands to the sky in a lazy stretch. "Kuro-pii is such a _grouchy _housemate – I thought attacking something cute and fluffy with his shiny new sword might help cheer him up!"

Kurogane studied his companion thoughtfully, for once overlooking the stupid pet name. "What makes you think that?"

Fai's smile was softer as he lowered his hands to his lap again, not looking at the wolf, gaze distant. "Kuro-chan…just seemed like that sort of guy." Kurogane snorted, and looked aside once more.

They sat in the quiet together, until evening began to fall.

* * *

The air felt thick and hazy when Watanuki awoke, sitting up from where he'd been lying on his futon for some reason and looking to his side, seeing the sliding door to the porch open. Smoke drifted in, a different sort to the type Yuuko usually brought with her, a bitter ash – cigarettes? It came to him lazily, musingly, tendrils of grey curling around his limbs as he approached the porch, pushing back the door and seeing another boy sitting outside, broad-shouldered, dark-haired. It was he who was smoking, the fireflies of the night fluttering around him, bright in the sky empty of moon and stars.

Watanuki didn't know the boy – didn't know this _place _either, even though it seemed so familiar. It was Yuuko's shop, and yet it wasn't.

A firefly came to him, and Watanuki smiled at the bright glow as it landed on his finger. "…Is this a dream?"

The stranger spoke. "How can you say this is not reality, and all else a dream?"

Watanuki let the firefly on his finger go, and moved to kneel at the other's boy's side. "You speak like Yuuko-san."

"The forest witch…" Smoke continued to drift up into the air, thoughtful. "The butterfly is a sign of change, slipping from dream to dream. What changes has she wrought for _you, _I wonder?"

"The ability to teeter on the edge of a nervous breakdown indefinitely," Watanuki promptly replied. When his companion only raised an eyebrow he went on. "She's lazy. She asks for too much. She drinks excessively, eats even more, and makes fun of me constantly." The other youth continued to look at him. "…And somehow, even though she's evil, I'm glad to have met her."

There was a rather dry laugh, and Watanuki looked up to meet the stranger's gaze – it was older than the rest of his appearance, wiser. This was a man, not a boy.

The stranger took another drag of his cigarette, holding it for a few seconds before blowing out another stream of smoke. "…I hope my grandson hasn't been troubling you too much?"

"Your grandson?"

"Shizuka." _Serenity_, echoed in the peace of the dream, of the starless night, "Doumeki Shizuka."

"_Doumeki?!" _Watanuki flailed, scrambling away from the stranger before him in shock. "You're that bird's _grandfather?!" _Watanuki did _not _want to know how someone's grandchild hatched from an egg. Really, he didn't.

The stranger – Doumeki's _grandfather – _smiled at him. "I see you know him well."

"I – you – but he -" Watanuki was at a loss. "His name's _Shizuka?" _Wasn't that a _girl's _name? Just wait until he confronted that feathery idiot with the fact that he, Watanuki Kimihiro, knew his great and terrible secret-!! Ah, _that _would teach the idiot to stay away from his darling Himawari!

"Doumeki Shizuka," the stranger confirmed, still smiling rather amusedly.

"_Ha-!" _was Watanuki's grand response, punching the air –

Only to find himself lying on his back, very much horizontal, with his pillow under his head and his hand sticking up in the air rather oddly. He was back on his futon and, looking to his side, he could see that the sliding door in his room leading to the porch was completely closed. Pushing back his blankets and going to open it Watanuki could see the stars in the night sky outside, the fireflies – and Doumeki's grandfather – absent from both the porch and the garden.

It had been a dream then. A really vivid, surprisingly coherent dream.

Did that mean it wasn't true…?

* * *

The sound of metal hitting deadwood was a surprisingly _dull _sound, but one that Fai had heard a few times in his much, much younger youth. The fey forgeries had tested their blades by driving them through deadwood – each blade gave a different response depending on type, on quality.

Kurogane liked his sword, handled it well. Inside the house Fai could hear the deadly _swish _of Souhi through the air, imagining the arc of the silver blade in the moonlight, beneath the stars, gripped by the mysterious Kurogane, the not-wolf.

He'd lied that afternoon. It wasn't anything new – he lied quite a lot, always had, especially to Kurogane. The magic around the house was there, true, but it wasn't the sort of magic that could be 'tapped into' to make a shield to hide people from watchful eyes. Fai had created the shield himself, whistled up the barrier low and sweet, under his breath when Kurogane had hopefully been far, far out of hearing –

Magic was magic, but he'd used a different_ sort _of magic creating the barrier, hopefully lowered the damage done. He didn't quite know _why_ he'dsaid the place would be safe for Kurogane, words tumbling from his lips before he'd truly thought about them, but – but –

Kurogane was such a problem, in so many, many ways. He was irritatingly perceptive at times; blunt, rude, uncivilised, unappreciative, and he drank Fai's sake.

Fai wanted to move away from the wall he was pressed against, look out of the nearest window, and see him. See what Kurogane looked like. In general. As he was supposed to be. Practicing with the sword Fai had given him.

Curiosity _burned _inside of Fai, low in his stomach, high in his heart. Was Kurogane human? A faerie? Handsome? Scary? So many questions caught in his throat, heavy on his tongue every day. Fai wanted to _know _about the enchanted Kurogane, about the ridiculously perceptive wolf, but he didn't dare to ask, to open up the can of worms. Kurogane had no obligation to tell him anything, anyway.

When Kurogane came in later – it felt like _hours _later – Fai had lost count of the bottles of alcohol he'd gotten through. He heard the _clink _as one of Kurogane's feet touched one of the discards on the floor, setting the thing rolling, lazy circles of thought and intoxication.

Kurogane's exasperation was tangible. "Idiot mage -"

"_Meow," _Fai cut him off with the sound, the word rolling off his tongue in lazy, languid drips of dark amusement, self-satisfaction, hot spatters against the patience of the big scary Kurogane in the big _scary_ dark.

"…What?" The wonderful pause as Kurogane actually questioned his hearing – or perhaps just Fai's sanity.

"Me-_ow," _his companion enunciated clearly for his benefit, Fai stretching out in his sprawl on the couch, luxuriating in the feeling, "_meow."_

Souhi _thudded _when Kurogane dropped it, sheathed, on the ground. "Idiot mage, how much have you had to drink?"

"Mmm, Kuro-wan-wan, that would be _telling…" _and it would've been counting too, something which Fai hadn't really been doing.

"Stop it with the ridiculous names, already!" Wolf or otherwise, Kurogane had a rather impressive growl. "My name is Kuro_gane!" _The shinobi moved forwards towards the couch, snatching Fai's arm and pulling the bottle the blond held out of his hand.

Fai made a faintly distressed noise – Kurogane could see in the _dark? _That _really _wasn't fair. "Kuro-pup doesn't want to play with Fai-kitty? For _shame – _after Fai-kitty stayed up, too!" Fai moved in the other's grasp, pushing himself up to his feet. "Was Kuro-kun-kun too busy howling at the moon? _Meow, _Kuro-wanko's so very _mean!_"

"Stop _meowing!" _Kurogane's grip tightened on the mage's arm. It was as stupid as it was annoying.

"_Meow," _Fai said by means of a reply, dark humour still present, "meow, meow, meeee_owwww."_

Kurogane couldn't tell whether the idiot was actually drunk or not – sadly, Fai was nearly _always _this hopeless. "If you 'meow' one more _goddamn _time -"

Fai stretched up on tip-toes, hand gripping the shirt the other wore as he pressed himself firmly against Kurogane for balance, mouth at the shinobi's ear in a breathless murmur. _"Meow."_

Kurogane _felt _the other's smile on his skin, the press of Fai's frame against his, soft hair tickling his cheek. He could smell the sake the other had been drinking too, the forest the other roamed in, the sweetness time had taught Kurogane was the scent of vanilla and sugar from when Fai baked (or just exploded) things in the kitchen. Fa – the _idiot._

Kurogane bent down low in the same instant he hoisted his burden up, lifting the ridiculously light mage and setting his skinny frame on one shoulder, ignoring the surprised _eep _he managed to withdraw from the mage at the sudden shift in position and height.

He carried Fai up to their bedroom – not that Fai had ever slept in it -, time and practice letting him move easily through the dark house. He dumped Fai down on the bed there; revelling in the _oof _the idiot gave out as he hit the mattress.

"Kuro-tan -"

"_Sleep." _Kurogane could hear the other shifting, sitting up, and he grabbed hold of one slender shoulder, pushing the mage back down. "_Now."_

"…I'm still dressed." Fai's voice was a little quieter then, sounding just a shade more sober, unusually still as he lay back under the other's firm hold.

Kurogane – slowly – let the blond go. Fai didn't move. "Then get changed." The shinobi rose from the bed. "And go to sleep."

The blankets shifted, a soft sound as the other hesitantly sat up again. "Kuro-sama -"

Kurogane slammed the door on his way out, cutting short whatever it was the mage had to say, and went downstairs. He only hoped the idiot had left some sake still in the house – he needed some. Badly.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Oh, the drama of it all. Did some more shifting about of various scenes, swapping them between this chapter and the next. Some of it was to do with story flow, and some of it was to do with the fact that I'm really too _blah-_y to do them justice right now – fancy words fly straight out of the window when you get ill, really. *pulls blanket over her head*

_So much love to SJ this chapter. _She was my fifth limb for this chapter, offering me information on Japanese foods and festivals, and just generally being a friendly face whilst I flailed in my little pit of self-pity and woe. That, and she started me on CLAMP's _Wish – _that series is so cute, it nearly killed me. *finished it pretty quickly*

(A giant cookie to anyone who guesses what the third 'item' is that Syaoran's going to have to go retrieve in the near future.)


	8. Of Curiousity and Cats

**Shadow: **Longest chapter so far.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter VIII: Of Curiousity and Cats_**

_Once upon a time, a few years ago, there was a child of neverwhere and nothing, pale, dark-haired and blue-eyed, an oddity in Nihon, the kingdom in which he was raised. He was called Watanuki Kimihiro, named by parents he'd never known, an impossible life sheltered from destruction by a change in kanji. He wrote his family name the same way he wrote the day of his birthday, and his given name proclaimed he was a prophet, one with Sight._

_Watanuki Kimihiro didn't want to _see _anything. His looks were strange enough without him jerking back and flinching at what appeared to be thin air for most of the populace, doing strange dances in the middle of the street. The couple that looked after him despaired of his strangeness – not its existence in itself, but the loneliness it caused for Watanuki, the fact no-one wished to be the child's friend. The neighbourhood whispered cruel things behind their hands about the boy, and Watanuki paled, grew thinner, quieter, more withdrawn. He was plagued by spirits, demons – and he didn't dare to tell a soul. Everyone thought he was mad enough, without _that _being added on top of it._

_Watanuki met a girl one day, shortly after his fifteenth birthday. She was a tiny thing, staring at a sakura tree where Watanuki knew the spirit of a deceased woman resided, and at Watanuki's approach she looked at him, solemn-eyed. _

_"Don't you think she looks sad?"_

_Watanuki thought the question could work just as well for the girl as for the ghost in the tree – he looked at the stranger thoughtfully, hesitating before speaking. If this little girl could see spirits too –_

_"The sakura tree is dying - she'll have to find a new home soon."_

_"She's been here a very long time…" The girl approached the tree, laying one hand on the bark. Her expression never wavered. "Moving after so long can be very scary."_

_"Have you come from far away?" Watanuki had never seen the child before, never even _heard _of her before, and everyone knew everyone's business in the town where he lived. _Someone _would've mentioned another strange child before then had the girl been around._

_The strange girl didn't answer, still looking up into the branches overhead. "…I heard her worrying, so I came to see her. She sounded so sad…"_

_"About the tree?"_

_"About you." The child's solemn eyes finally looked down, meeting Watanuki's and looking right through him. "She sees you come by every day, and wonders when it is you'll be going to where you need to be."_

_Watanuki looked confused, glancing up at the spirit overhead, the ghost with sad, kind eyes. "…I _am _where I need to be." He didn't sound very certain – but then, why would he need to be? He'd always simply _been _there, the idea that he was needed somewhere else was totally foreign to him._

_The little girl continued to look at him. "…Don't you have a wish?"_

_Life went on. Watanuki stuck to his daily routine, helping the couple that looked after hm, doing his chores, avoiding the spirits that chased him down and clung to him. The people in the neighbourhood continued to whisper, continued to avoid him. He passed by the sakura tree each day, seeing the tree wither, slowly die, seeing the sad dead woman sitting in the branches looking down at him, waiting._

_"…I'm sorry." He approached her tree one day, placing a hand on the drying bark and looking up at her. "But where is that I'm supposed to go?" _

_She didn't answer him; she didn't speak; she never spoke. Her long hair moved with the branches in the wind, and still she was sad._

_…Watanuki went back to the home where he'd lived as long as he could remember – but if _asked _to remember, he couldn't tell anyone anything about it, or the people that lived with him. Life for Watanuki was vague scenes between dreams, the idle knowledge that he somehow knew how to cook, how to clean, but didn't know who'd taught him, who'd bought the clothes he wore. He couldn't recall the names of the ones who'd cared for him, their smiles… Occasionally, if he really tried, he could remember someone whispering goodnight to him, hands in his hair, a kiss on the forehead._

_Watanuki could never, however, remember how it was he ended up in the enchanted forest, however much he strained his mind trying to dredge up the fleeting past. The first thing he could recall was the shade deep under the trees, the dead silence all around him save for the quiet rippling of the lake before him, large and wide and just touching the edge of one of his shoes._

_He rowed himself across the lake, not quite knowing why, finding a boat with oars further along the banks. The pier on the island at the lake's centre creaked when he stepped onto it, rhythmic as his own footsteps as Watanuki moved from wooden boards to the firmness of soil once more. _

_He wasn't to know it until later, but Watanuki had found the home of the legendary Witch of the Forest, the one who granted the wishes of those with burning hearts as long as an equal price was offered up for trade. No-one could find her abode unless they had a true need of her services – but of course, Watanuki didn't know that, didn't understand that, and was very rightly confused when two strangely hyperactive young girls burst out of the front doors of a building he'd just found, and dragged him into the smoke-filled depths. _

_The woman they took him to reclined on her couch like a Queen in state, lips tilting up into a lazy, satisfied sort of smile when the girls dragged Watanuki before her, her long body covered with the barest minimum of decency. A little embarrassed by her attire Watanuki didn't know _where _to look, fumbling out answers to whatever question the woman set him, falling neatly into trap after verbal trap. When she told him she granted wishes he told her that was impossible, so she took the watch he kept in his pocket and granted him his little wish, to know a little of his fortune. She read it for him and Watanuki suddenly _believed –

_"I wish," Watanuki Kimihiro told the woman, this woman, this witch, this person calling herself Ichihara Yuuko in one breath and telling him everything was a lie in the next, "to not – to not -" his wish was so difficult to phrase!_

_Yuuko caught his chin, holding his eyes with her depthless red. "You wish to not be burdened by your Sight?"_

_Watanuki nodded. "That is my wish."_

_Yuuko smiled at him – catlike and smooth, and Watanuki suddenly found himself feeling like he'd just agreed to be a feline's lunch. "Then you'll work for me, until such a time as your labour equals the price of your wish."_

_And so it was that Watanuki Kimihiro, the boy who could barely remember anything, the child he knew nothing of his past, became the indentured servant of Ichihara Yuuko, the wily, wicked and just plain _weird _Witch of the Enchanted Forest._

_He complained about it constantly. Yuuko ignored him._

* * *

_"Kuro-taaaaaan~!!" _The warble came from the upstairs of Kurogane and Fai's shared home, a cheerful lilt that came from the bedroom and floated its way down the stairs, to where Kurogane sat reading some more of his mangayan. "Someone's at the door!"

"It's Kuro_gane!!" _Kurogane was sick to death of the nicknames and yelling back about them. It had gotten to the stage where he usually let them slide by in a fit of apathy – but he drew the line at 'Kuro-_tan'. _He was _not _six years old; he wasn't the _slightest _bit 'cutesy', and if the mage for _one instant _continued to imply that the shinobi was in any way, shape or form _female – _"And answer it yourself!!"

"But I'm making the _bed…" _Fai's whine drifted down from the bedroom, the scent of the fresh air caught on sheets, curving billows of white catching the noon-time sun that came in through the window – or _had _come in through the window, anyway.

Glancing up, Kurogane could see the weather outside looking a lot cloudier all of a sudden. "I don't have _hands." _Turning a doorknob was always a little bit of a problem. And talking of the door – "Nobody _knocked!" _He should know – being canine had its advantages in the hearing department.

"I never _said _anyone knocked!" Fai was still lilting, his words edged with palpable amusement that had Kurogane gritting his teeth, stalking out into the house's corridor.

"Then how do you know anyone's _there?"_

There was only laughter from upstairs. "Answer the door, Kuro-chan! It's not nice to keep a lady waiting~!"

Growling, Kurogane went to the front door, fumbling for a long while to twist the knob before finally succeeding. A flurry of rain hit him directly in the face the moment he did so and without even looking as to who it was on the other side of the door the shinobi grumbled out a curse about the weather –

And then got promptly smacked over the head with a black umbrella.

"The rain isn't here to solely inconvenience you!"

Kurogane back-pedalled a few paws out of umbrella-range, glowering up at the frothy black ensemble the strange blue-haired girl was wearing at the door –

"Ame-warashi!" Fai _breezed _down the stairs (and he couldn't have done that a few minutes ago?), all smiles as he nudged Kurogane out of the way with one leg and pushed the door open wider to admit the glaring faerie on the other side. "What a pleasant surprise."

The Ame-warashi continued to scowl past him, gaze locked with a snarling Kurogane. "Your husband could do with some lessons in manners, bochamma."

"Kuro-tan's a lost cause, I'm afraid." Fai continued to smile, ignoring the hissed 'we're not _married' _from the wolf behind him. "Would you like to come inside?"

The rain sprite consented to being ushered inside, propping her umbrella up in the hallway before sweeping through to the lounge after Fai. The blond, to his credit, didn't bat an eyelash at the water that trailed in in the Ame-warashi's wake – but then, he was probably used to such oddities from faeries. (Kurogane, on the other hand, was a little distracted by it, wondering where all the water was coming from. Did the Ame-warashi keep a rain-cloud up her skirt, or something?)

Fai served up green tea and cake he'd made himself to their guest, and Kurogane sulked in the corner as his fiancé played housewife. The mage chattered like a woman – and when Kurogane passed a comment saying such, the little rain-cloud that Kurogane had decided had to be the Ame-warashi's twisted version of a pet took it upon itself to float gaily over the wolf's head to give Kurogane an impromptu shower.

Fai's laughter – and the stormy little rain-cloud – chased Kurogane out of the room.

The blond was still smiling when he turned to his houseguest, his eyes still bright with the laughter of seeing such _affront _on Kurogane's face when faced with indoor rain. "Mou…Ame-warashi-san, was there any particular reason for your visit, or were you just hoping to improve neighbourly relations?"

"There was a reason, as you have already rightly guessed." The rain-spite shook out the curls of her hair, reaching down to her waist to pluck open the purse she wore slung over her shoulder. From there she withdrew a pendant glowing white and periwinkle blue, the piece set at the end of a fine silver chain. "You associate with the forest witch, don't you? And know of her apprentice."

"Watanuki-kun?"

The Ame-warashi sniffed. "The black-haired boy that flails far too much."

Fai smiled. "Watanuki-kun."

"Could you see to it that this is given to him?" The rain sprite extended the jewellery she held. "It is a gift from the Zashiki-warashi, as thanks for the food he gave her. She is too shy to deliver it herself, and I have no business at the witch's island."

Fai's fingers closed around the necklace, the blue charm on its end warm in his palm. "I'll see that Watanuki-kun gets this."

"See that you do," the Ame-warashi sniffed, clearly put-out at having the Zashiki-warashi so (widely, in the rain sprite's opinion) distribute her favours.

"Kuro-_pyooooon~" _Fai breezed about the house looking for the wolf once the Ame-warashi had finished her business (and her cake) and gone, the pendant left in his care by the faerie tucked safely away in one pocket. He poked his head into the kitchen, the library, the bedrooms, but failed to see the brooding canine anywhere. Eventually he went to the bathroom, seeing a shadow behind the shower-curtain. "Kuro-wan-wan?"

The shadow spoke. "Go _away, _mage."

"And leave Kuro-wankoro in such obvious distress in the bathtub?" Fai shook his head with a smile, pulling back the shower-curtain – and then he trailed off into surprised laughter again, seeing the extraordinarily soggy wolf sitting glowering up at him. Clearly, the Ame-warashi's rain-cloud had done its work well. "_Saa, _did Kuro-chan decide to have an early wash?"

Kurogane bared his teeth. "What part of 'go away' do you not understand, idiot?"

Fai ignored the shinobi completely reaching to pluck up a nearby towel. "Kuro-pon will catch a cold if he just sits and drip-dries like that; I'll help you get dry." Kurogane backed up against the side of the bathtub, snarling, trying to get out of the way of the approaching blond. "Just…sit still -"

_"Like hell!"_

"Kuro-pu -"

They struggled. Fai attempted to catch Kurogane with the towel and Kurogane attempted to scramble away, both of them slipping on the wet surface of the bath. Kurogane was hard to hold onto and Fai was blocking the wolf's exit, and somehow the entire escapade resulted in Fai sprawled in the bath halfway across Kurogane's struggling form with his arms around the wolf, and Kurogane's wet nose pressing rather unpleasantly on the side of his exposed neck. They were both soaked through – Kurogane from the magical rain-cloud, and Fai from grappling with one who had been drenched by a magical rain-cloud.

Kurogane was, obviously, none too happy with the situation. "Get off of me!"

"Ugh…" Fai wrinkled his nose, feeling the dampness from his companion's fur seep through his shirt, "Kuro-wanko smells like wet dog."

The urge to bite the blond for his forwardness was strong but Kurogane somehow restrained himself – the only place within biting range at that time was Fai's neck, and crunching his teeth down there would probably kill the idiot. (Much as murder would undoubtedly be both fun _and_ satisfying, their current positions would leave Kurogane with a bleeding – _heavy – _corpse on him should he carry through with his plans. That, and Fai was still necessary for curse-breaking, damn him.)

Kurogane settled for growling, wriggling and trying not to get floaty bits of gold hair stuck in his mouth. "Get. _Off." _

Fai continued to ignore him, disregarding the wriggling entirely and finally managing to _use _the towel he'd picked up, rubbing the fur of the wolf's back with absolutely no heed paid to the curses spewing from Kurogane's mouth. Fai's touch was brief but firm, towelling what he could of Kurogane dry, careful around the wolf's ears and eyes, hearing the chain around the enchanted creature's neck with the engagement ring on it jingle in time with their movements.

Kurogane hissed and cursed and snarled and skittered around trying to be free every second Fai was drying him, the whole process made entirely more awkward by his own protests.

Fai poked and pushed and prodded and squished him into submission, scrambling back himself after the ordeal was over and done with to clasp his hands together – ignoring his sopping shirt – and coo over the now exceedingly mussed-up and disgruntled wolf before him.

"Kuro-tan looks so _cute _when he's _fluffy!"_

Kurogane's resolve snapped then (as it always seemed to around Fai), and the wolf abandoned his previous reasons for not ripping the mage's throat out and leapt for the blond. Fai dived out of the way with his usual laugh, dashing out of the bathroom with his fiancé in hot pursuit.

The chase – yet again – was on.

* * *

"You're heading out again?"

Watanuki caught Syaoran just as the other boy was at the door, the brunet with his cloak over his shoulders, that determined set in his expression that usually meant he was off to do some training, or run an errand for Yuuko. Judging by how Watanuki didn't _think _Yuuko had been in any fit state to give out any errands – she was in her bedroom groaning about her aching head again -, it had to be the former option.

"To Kurogane-san and Fai-san's," Syaoran laid a hand on his waist – the place a sword would usually be buckled, although there was no blade there at the time, "training again."

"Your wish…" Watanuki was always hesitant bringing up such a delicate topic, but a question plucked at his mind, silver-bright and inquisitive in its presence, but hazy in definition. A question that didn't really know what it was asking, but felt a _pull _to this other boy with fire in his blood and heat in his eyes whilst its owner's gaze caught only the reflection of never-ending nights and lakes and dreams. "Sometimes Syaoran-kun seems like the sort of person who could answer his own wishes."

Syaoran considered that a moment, the silence pulling between them peacefully, the pets of the household all elsewhere, probably attending their hungover mistress. "I do not think…" Syaoran eventually began, hand still where his sword should've been, seeming a warrior, older, wiser, "all payments are granted to Yuuko-san. So logically…" the silence became thread-thin, a high string lightly touched that hummed in the air, just out of hearing, "all wishes are not made to Yuuko-san either." He couldn't stand back and do _nothing _himself.

"Sometimes some wishes have unforeseen prices…" Watanuki trailed over the words, paraphrasing a comment Yuuko had made, hearing the echo in Syaoran's sentiments. "The costlier the wish, the more you have to pay."

Conviction. "Sakura-hime is worth it."

"'Sakura'?" It was the first time Syaoran had mentioned the princess to Watanuki.

"Sakura," Syaoran repeated, smiling slightly at the memory, a pink tinge in his cheeks. "Like the flower. Sakura-hime."

Watanuki smiled in return, a blissfully happy expression that clouded his eyes. "She has a flower name, just like Himawari-chan. Where I come from, the sakura flower represents life – brief but sweet. Himawari represents warmth, nourishment."

"Really?" Syaoran stored that little bit of information away. "…Where I come from the sakura flower represents women…power." He didn't mention the meanings that were attached to the sunflower in Clow. He couldn't – not when Watanuki was smiling like that.

'Unhappiness in love' was such a cruel thing to have associated with your sweetheart.

* * *

One clearing. "Here?"

"No."

Another clearing. "…Here?"

"Nope."

And another. "What about here?"

"_No~."_

That was _it. _Kurogane ground to a halt, digging his claws into the grass of the forest beneath him and _glaring _at the unconcerned back of his fiancé waltzing along before him, Fai's hands tucked behind his airy head in a show of utter nonchalance.

"What," the wolf enunciated clearly, "is wrong with _this _clearing?" 'And the other twenty dozen we've walked through', hung heavily in the air.

Fai had announced - sometime after Kurogane had finally stopped chasing him (the blond had shut the bedroom door on the wolf's nose) and he'd changed into a dry shirt – that since today was such a _lovely _day (the clouds had disappeared alongside the Ame-warashi) they'd be teaching Syaoran in a different area of the forest than usual. It was, after all, such a terrible thing to be stuck in one place all the time, and Kuro-chan should just shh and be a good boy for Fai-mommy because mommy really knew _best _about these sort of things. Kurogane had bared his teeth and began trying to kill the other about that point and Fai had run off – giving chase had led them deep beneath the trees, and only after ten minutes running did Kurogane realise he'd been essentially tricked and he was doing what Fai wanted _anyway_.

…Bloody mage.

Fai turned slightly to regard the wolf with his bright – and, once more, far-too-amused – eyes. The two of them had long-since settled into a walk. "Does Kuro-tan not enjoy going walkies with me?"

Kurogane bared his teeth. "Do I really have to answer that?"

Fai only laughed. "Kuro-pu-pu -"

"It's Kuro_gane."_

"Kuro-pon," Fai really did have selective hearing, "we need to do more _couple _things together. Or," he stopped walking, suddenly bringing the memories of a conversation on a rainy night into the sunshine afternoon of the forest, "do you prefer me when I'm 'faithless'?"

Silence.

Fai twisted away again, his face hidden by his hair as his voice took on its usual fake cheer. "Well, when this year is done Kuro-chan won't ever have to see or hear from me again." He started walking again.

Kurogane kept to just behind him, grumbling his complaints. "And we can call off this farce of an engagement."

"Aw, Kuro-sama doesn't want to marry me?" Fai adopted the pose of one who had been deeply wounded, clutching his heart with one hand and flinging the other palm overdramatically across his brow. "Kuro-pipi will be leaving me in a state of sin! Used and abandoned, left at the altar in shame -"

"_There is no altar!" _Kurogane rose to the bait every time, but he was determined the conversation wouldn't be Fai's win alone. "…It would take more than another ring on your finger to make you an honest man, anyway."

There was more silence, Fai's feet slowing, stilling, coming to a halt. "Kuro-sama -"

"Fai-san!" There was a pleased shout from across the clearing, a familiar brown-haired boy waving and coming into view. "Kurogane-san!"

"Syaoran-kun~!" Fai leapt across to the boy in bounds, his usual inane chatter spilling from his lips again as he greeted the boy.

Kurogane watched him go, whatever the mage had been about to say lost to the wind, to whimsy. _Again._

* * *

"Good afternoon."

He turned when she called to him, the strands of his fair hair catching the breeze of their dreamscape, sunshine contrasted with those eyes of his, that beautiful colour that matched the summer skies.

_"Good afternoon."_ His voice was soft, refined, his smile politely inquiring as he looked back at her, wondering who she was, why she had brought him wherever it was he was. He walked in dreams, yes, but only specific ones. Anywhere outside his usual sphere was the work of someone more powerful than him. _"This is your daydream?"_

"It is," Tomoyo looked contrite, approaching her guest. "My apologies for disturbing your rest, but I was asked to speak with you. People have questions…but first – manners." She smiled, welcoming, and extended a hand. "I am Tomoyo-hime, the Tsukoyomi of the kingdom of Nihon."

Her companion smiled in return, taking her hand and raising it to his lips to kiss it. _"I am Yuui-ouji, child of a dead kingdom and an adopted son of the Faerie Court. It is my pleasure to meet you."_

Tomoyo looked at him, suddenly wide-eyed. "You're a prince?" Kurogane was engaged to –

Yuui looked at her. _"…I can see this is going to be a long conversation."_

Tomoyo sat down, the bells on her headdress chiming at the motion. "Yes," she stretched a hand out to her guest, pleased when Yuui sat down opposite her. "Yes, it is."

* * *

The staccato beat of wood hitting wood echoed through the forest –

_One- two-three-duck –_

Carefully controlled breathing, feet on grass –

_Two-two-three-block –_

The wind through the tree-branches, catching the edge of Fai's discarded coat, Syaoran's cloak –

_Three-two-three-_hit –

Fai neatly side-stepped the stick that had been swung at his mid-section, shifting _around _the weapon as his partner's momentum carried them past him, using his own stick to lightly rap Syaoran on the back of the shoulders.

Kurogane folded his paws in front of him where he was lying, watching the display. "Kid, you're dead again. It's a good thing the idiot decided not to use a sword." (It had been less 'decided' and more out-and-out _refused, _Fai rejecting Kurogane's offer of a temporary loan of Souhi without even glancing at the blade. When pushed Fai had only given that infuriating smile of his, querying that wasn't it enough that he was _fighting _using Kurogane's style to train Syaoran without taking Kurogane's sword as well?)

Syaoran blushed, looking to the wolf. "I'm sorry, Kurogane-san."

"Don't apologise to me," Kurogane fixed his gaze on the boy, "it's your head that you'll be losing should you go into a serious fight."

Syaoran bowed his head, grip tightening on the stick he held. "…I'll do my best to improve."

"Ah, don't be glum, Syaoran-kun~." Fai curled an arm around the brunet's neck in a loose hug, smiling brightly when the boy looked up at him. "Kuro-chan is just showing how worried he is about you. He wouldn't want to see Syaoran-kun get hurt."

"He – I -" Kurogane jolted to his feet, spluttering at the blond. "_Don't just decide these things for yourself, idiot!"_

"See~?" Fai dropped his head to utter a perfectly audible stage-whisper in Syaoran's ear, teasing blue eyes locked firmly with Kurogane's red, "Big doggy is awfully fond of little puppy, even if he can't express himself very well."

"'L-little puppy?'" Syaoran's eyes were very wide, a blush on his cheeks again, though now for an entirely different reason.

"Ignore him, kid; his stupidity's probably infectious." Kurogane glared at Fai, hating the mage's fake smile, advancing on the man until the idiot uncurled his arm from around Syaoran's neck, stepping away from the boy and backing up. "As for _you -"_

Fai only smiled wider, delighting in the clear infuriation emanating from the wolf. "Hm, does Kuro-wanko want to give me a love-bite?"

_"'Love-bite'?!" _Kurogane choked and Syaoran worried that the canine had swallowed his own tongue for a few seconds - but then the wolf pounced forwards, sleek, angry, and Syaoran did the very, very smart thing and dived hastily out of the way, Fai having already set off with a cheery _'hyuu~', _laughter bubbling as he swung himself up into the nearest tree –

And then he slipped.

_"Fai-san!"_

Fai fell almost in slow motion, one pale hand stretching for a grip, the next branch, fingers trying and failing to find something to hold onto. He was a blur of white and gold crashing down through the green and brown branches, _smacking _into the hard ground below, sprawled alarmingly still across the roots on the forest floor.

_"Fai-san!" _Worry jolted Syaoran into movement, but Kurogane was faster still, having been already on the move, at the fallen mage's side immediately.

_"Ow…" _Fai groaned when Kurogane gently laid a paw on his ribs, shifting so his companions could see he was still alive, bleary eyes flickering open at two (concerned, though Kurogane would deny it) faces. "I'm going to hurt tomorrow. _Ah -" _he winced slightly, pushing himself up into a sitting position, "I think I hurt _now, _as well."

"Fai-san," Syaoran crouched down beside the blond, a relieved smile touching his features, "I'm just glad you're alright."

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun." Fai stretched out a hand, his expression warm as he ruffled the brunet's already tousled hair. "I'm like a cat, hm? Always land on my feet."

"If you land on your feet after falling far enough," Kurogane growled, his irritation with the blond coming through once more now it had been ascertained Fai wasn't dead, "you'll break your legs."

Fai only laughed, stretching out a hand and laying it gently on the other's ruff. "So _practical, _Kuro-daddy. Can't you just admit you were worried about Fai-mommy for once?"

Kurogane shook off the hand. "What the _hell _did you just call me?!"

"Kuro-daddy," Fai waved the rejected limb laconically, lazily, knowing his fiancé's honour wouldn't allow him to attack someone when they were down. "Unless you'd rather be the mommy?"

"You – what -" even _Kurogane_ seemed at a loss for words for a few moments, his voice taking on a bark of incredulity, "do you have _no _self-respect as a man?!"

Fai ignored the question, musing to himself. "Kuro-tan never really struck me as the mothering type…" he glanced at Syaoran, the boy looking rather lost at that moment in time. "What do _you _think, Syaoran-kun?"

Syaoran wanted very much not to think _at all. _Hopefully, if he gave it a few more seconds, the ground would obligingly open up beneath him and swallow him whole.

_"Stop dragging the kid into your idiot games!!"_

Fai continued to ignore their ranting companion. "That reminds me…" he reached into his back-pocket, pulling out the pendant the Ame-warashi had given him, "could Syaoran-kun please deliver this to Watanuki-kun for me when he returns to Yuuko's shop? It's a gift from the Zashiki-warashi."

Syaoran took it willingly. "Of course, Fai-san."

Fai smiled again and began pushing himself to his feet – only to let out a soft cry, leaning heavily on the tree-trunk beside him. "Ah -"

Kurogane grumbled at him, but his exasperation was relatively mild. "…What have you done, idiot?"

Fai laughed, letting his head fall back against the trunk, eyes shut, voice a little breathier than Kurogane would've liked it, considering the situation. "Only Kuro-sama could make an insult sound like an endearment."

_"Mage -"_

"I appear," Fai broke in before Kurogane could begin to complain again, letting his eyes flutter open once more, "to have twisted my ankle."

"Are you sure it's not broken, Fai-san?" Syaoran tried to inspect the foot the elder male was favouring, but Fai gently shooed him away, urging the boy to his own feet.

"It's not broken, Syaoran-kun, but thank you for your concern." Fai pushed himself up into a more upright position, smile still fixed on his lips. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to call an end to the training for today though."

"I'll help you back to your house." Syaoran was quick to let the mage lean on him, Fai putting his arm across the boy's shoulders once more for support and letting out a soft hiss as he put weight on his injured ankle. "Fai-san?"

"It's alright, Syaoran-kun." There was nothing else the boy could do to help, and there was little use in him feeling guilty either.

Kurogane groused, padding along at the side of his two companions as they made their slow way back to the house beside the waterfall. "It's the idiot's own fault, anyway."

Fai sighed rather melodramatically. "Daddy's always so cruel to mommy…"

_"You -!"_

* * *

_"Himawari-chan~~!!" _Watanuki _beamed _up at the girl in her tower – and then he caught sight of the golden bird perched on her window-ledge. "And Doumeki-kun."

"Watanuki-kun!!" Himawari seemed to be just as delighted to see the black-haired boy. "Doumeki-kun said he saw you coming – he has very good eyesight!"

Watanuki was torn. On the one hand, he could happily chime in with Himawari and praise Doumeki, thus pleasing Himawari. On the other…he wasn't about to praise the idiot bird simply because he could see long distances. Stupid eagle; he'd been showing up for a few weeks now – Watanuki never got any quality _alone time _with Himawari any more.

Watanuki went with a compromise. "I brought you a bentou!"

"Watanuki-kun is so kind~!" Himawari clapped her hands together, sparkles filling the air.

Doumeki leaned over the ledge, eyeing the boy on the ground. "Is there sanbei-jiru?"

_"No!" _Watanuki was affronted. "That's a winter soup!"

"Hn," Doumeki leaned back again. "Next time, make sanbei-jiru."

_"I'm not making that for you!"_

Himawari's eyes grew round. "Sanbei-jiru sounds so _tasty!"_

Watanuki practically swooned at how cute his darling looked right then. "I'll bring you some next time I visit, _Hi~mawa~ri-chan_~~!"

Doumeki stuck his beak in again. "Don't forget the daikon."

_"I'm not making it for you!"_

* * *

It had been just over three months, by Kurogane's internal reckoning. Three months since he'd disturbed the crystal case in the forest and been turned into a wolf, three months he'd been engaged to an idiotic blond mage with something _seriously _screwed-up in his airy head.

What exactly was _wrong _with Fai…Kurogane had hazarded a guess or two, but everything had been shot down in the face of the man's lies. Fai lied and lied and _lied, _and infuriatingly _kept _lying even though he knew Kurogane saw through him. No matter how Kurogane pried at the locked box that was Fai D. Fluorite he got little to nothing out of it, the mage a master at deflecting conversations from himself, silver-tongued and sharp. The man was smart – Kurogane had flicked through a few of the blond's books, and hadn't even understood _half _of what some of them rambled on about -, and the man was skilled – he was strangely intuitive, could dodge things thrown at him without looking, and fought pretty well using the techniques Kurogane coerced him into doing to train Syaoran. It made the shinobi wonder, what Fai's _own _techniques were like – you could see it in the way he held himself, that the mage knew how to fight -, but time and time again, Fai had avoided the issue, side-stepped the conflict, been rammed against the wall in the pitch-black darkness and outright _refused _when Kurogane couldn't see him, couldn't read the honesty that occasionally flickered in those unseen-blue eyes. During the day, to Kurogane, everything about Fai was grey. At night, when the colours came back, he couldn't see them. If only –

"Mm…" Fai stirred slightly in his sleep, twisting about from his usual face-down sleeping position to a sideways sprawl that looked actually somewhat acceptable to a person still wanting to breathe. Kurogane, in his wolf-form, beside him on the bed, turned to look at him for a few moments, wondering whether the idiot was awake yet. When Fai didn't make any further movements, the shinobi found it relatively safe to assume the blond was still asleep.

Ever since the mage had gotten drunk and Kurogane had dumped him in their bed Fai had actually _slept _in the bed every night, giving up the sofa in the lounge downstairs. Had it been anyone else Kurogane would've assumed that meant that the individual was trying to turn over a new leaf, but in all other things Fai seemed just as annoying as ever – _more so, _in fact, clinging onto Kurogane like a limpet and utilising his ridiculous pet names with ruthless efficiency.

Fai stirred again, a slight crease in his brow – the idiot was having a nightmare? It was too early for the blond to wake up; Fai usually gave it another hour or so before waking and heading down to the kitchen, whistling that stupid '_hyuu' _noise he claimed was a whistle.

It was early for Kurogane as well – when dawn came he changed from man to wolf, the process waking him. He usually got up and shoved the clothes he'd been wearing as a human the night before into the wardrobe or the corner of the room (– invariably, Fai picked them up for him later in the day, either hanging them up again on a hanger, or putting them in the laundry basket). After that he'd crawl back onto the bed and go back to sleep, rising only when Fai's obnoxiously cheery _not-_whistling eventually wore down through the layers of his unconsciousness.

But today…today, Kurogane just hadn't been able to get back to sleep.

"Ash..ura-ou…" Fai, it appeared, was rather restless as well, calling out the name of strangers in his sleep. Kurogane frowned down at him –

Only for Fai to shift in his slumber again, moving against Kurogane's side and seeking the other's warmth, one of his hands burying itself in the wolf's fur. The motion slid him out from under most of the sheets, one blanket trailing across his torso but failing entirely to cover his bare legs in any way, Fai's nightshirt the only thing keeping his modesty right then. It was a wonder the cold didn't wake the idiot.

Kurogane let out a low, discontented noise of affront, a mild grumble that didn't really carry enough volume behind it to rouse his companion. It was wrong to blame a man for what he said or did while asleep, whilst at his most vulnerable, but being used as a cuddle-toy was not on his list of things to do that day. He shifted away.

Fai shifted closer, head cushioned against Kurogane's side, his brow smoothing out as he heard the steady drumming of the wolf's heart through his sleep, the inhale-exhale of the canine's chest.

_That _was intruding on valued personal space. Kurogane _growled, _the sound reverberating through him.

"Hn…" Fai's eyes flickered, the beginning of waking, and Kurogane turned his head away from looking at him, giving the other a little privacy to wake and hopefully swiftly disentangle himself, all the while trying to ignore the fact that Fai smelled rich and sleepy and warm, heavy with lingering drowsiness, fingers still tangled in dark fur in a distractingly _good _way.

Kurogane was sure, had he been human in body right then, he would've been analysing the bare stretch of those ridiculously long, pale legs as they shifted amongst the twisted blankets slightly differently – the soft sound of skin sliding on sheets was, to his mind, troubling enough, the added grey glow of half-lidded eyes was unnecessary, framed as they were by tousled hair.

As it was…Fai just smelled _good, _still half-curled and soft and kittenish, free of all scents but his own – and Kurogane's, now the wolf thought about it –

And then Kurogane groaned, a low rumble of pleasure in the back of his throat, one of Fai's hands having shifted unintentionally as the blond stirred, dragging down his companion's side and stomach in a lazy half-stroke, half-scratch.

"…Kuro…chan?" The sound seemed to draw Fai completely out of sleep - the man really was too slow with coming around to wakefulness; even the worst of shinobis back at Shirasagi were better-trained than _this _idiot -, both his hands _thankfully _(sadly) falling away from Kurogane's person as he pushed himself up slightly, propped up by his elbows. He yawned, his hair a mess. "Kuro-sama, what time is it…?"

"Too early," Kurogane said rather shortly, sliding himself away to the other end of the bed, as far as he could get from Fai without falling onto the floor. Irritatingly, this end of the bed was cold. "Go back to sleep."

"Hm…" Fai lay down again, pillowing his arms beneath his head, and regarding his bed-mate with a sleepy smile. "Kuro-chan is grumpy first thing in the morning, ne?"

"_Go back to sleep." _Stopping the stupid nicknames was of high priority.

"And here I thought Kuro-pon would like me a little more if I stayed awake to keep him company a little while…" Fai was already drooping, halfway to sleep already.

Kurogane growled at him a little, wondering why it was the idiot just _couldn't _do as he was asked straightaway, for once. "I like you the most when you were asleep." Asleep, the idiot (probably) couldn't cause any trouble.

"Strange…" Fai's voice was soft, barely above a murmur, his eyes completely shut and lashes dark against his white cheeks. "Kuro-sama keeps telling me he doesn't like me _at all…"_

Kurogane jolted at that. "You -" But Fai was too far gone, his breathing deep and even, sunken fast into slumber. Kurogane dropped the conversation.

He didn't really want to continue it, anyway.

* * *

Watanuki was ranting again, his motions erratic as he beat the living daylights out of whatever concoction it was he had in the bowl in his hands, Yuuko, drinking sake as she leaned back against the kitchen's doorpost, apparently not listening in the slightest.

"-and _then _the idiot bird demands I make him shougoyaki! _Shougoyaki!! _As if I, the great Watanuki-sama, have time in my busy schedule to make shougoyaki for the likes of _him!"_

"And yet," Yuuko calmly pointed out, draining the last of the bottle she was holding and setting it down on the table, "you're making shougoyaki, Watanuki-kun."

"I – well – I – that is -" Watanuki blushed slightly. "Himawari-chan said she might like some, and I thought I'd make some for her as a treat – and that stupid _Doumeki _isn't. Getting. _Any. _What kind of eagle eats _pork _anyway?!"

"Maybe it's just your wonderful cooking, Watanuki-kun~!" Yuuko reached over and stole a piece of the boy's ginger-flavoured pork, _hmm_ing in delight and letting little sparkles fill the kitchen around her. "Delicious as ever!!"

Watanuki smacked her hand with the spoon he was holding. "You'll spoil your appetite." He sincerely doubted it – Yuuko's stomach seemed bottomless, at times -, but he had to defend his cooking _somehow. _

The black Mokona hopped up onto Yuuko's shoulder, appearing from the hallway to whisper – _loudly – _in the witch's ear. "Watanuki is saving the food for his _boyfriend."_

Yuuko clutched her heart. _"Watanuki-kun~! _How _could _you?"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"There, there, Mokona," Yuuko ignored her protesting employee, petting the mock-sobbing bun on her shoulder, "we'll just have to accept that Watanuki has taken his love elsewhere -"

Watanuki flailed, his spoon a lethal weapon as it went through the air, an extension to his own arm. "Like I could ever love that – that _Doumeki!"_

There was a sudden, pregnant pause.

"Who," Yuuko asked lowly, a slow, dreadful smirk stretching on her lips that had, alongside Mokona's matching evil grin, Watanuki's stomach plunging in sudden fear for his feet, "mentioned _Doumeki?"_

"…You…" words failed Watanuki, and the poor boy was sorely tempted to put his head in his hands and weep.

"_I _never mentioned any Doumeki." Yuuko delighted in torturing those in her service. She turned to address Mokona. "Did you?"

"Noo~_ooo~." _Mokona looked positively evil, the devil-spawn of the witch.

Yuuko continued to smirk. "Oh my…"

Mokona finished off the humiliation. "Watanuki loves _Dou~me~ki!"_

_"I do not!!"_

"Watanuki loves _Doooouuuumeki~!!"_

_"I'm not in love with that stupid bird!!"_

"Now, now, Watanuki-kun," Yuuko petted the boy on the head, Watanuki stopping his attempts to grab hold of Mokona and throttle him to look up at the woman. "There are more to things than originally meet the eye in most situations. How do you know Doumeki-kun's not secretly a handsome prince bespelled to look like a bird?"

"He's a jerk," the witch's employee grumbled, "so it doesn't matter whether he's a prince or not."

"Ah," Yuuko chided, "but didn't he save your life once, when that spirit attacked you looking like Himawari-chan?" Watanuki rued the day he'd ever told Yuuko about that.

Watanuki folded his arms, and looked away. "…He's still a jerk."

Yuuko only chuckled, and ruffled the boy's hair, motioning for Mokona to bounce away again. "He sounds like a good friend." Watanuki bristled, but Yuuko continued to pet him. "It's good to make friends, hm, Watanuki?"

"…Yes," the youth admitted, relaxing a little.

"Good! _Now -" _Yuuko pulled away, and Watanuki blinked open eyes he didn't realise he'd shut to find the witch expectantly waving an empty bottle in his face, "more sake, Watanuki~!"

* * *

Mealtimes with Fai were always an adventure and a half. Although the blond was obviously a good chef and could produce some delicious food he still took it upon himself to provide a surprise with every meal – usually sugary, sweet, and something Kurogane had to complain about. Fai was agreeable to a certain extent with what he made – when he discovered Kurogane couldn't drink or at anything too milky he'd cut most of those things out of his menus completely, something that Kurogane was silently grateful for -, but on the matter of breakfast, drinks and desserts Fai was unswervingly stubborn. The mage cooked, so the mage decided what they ate, and the mage decided what they ate was so sugary it induced cavities merely by _looking _at it.

There was only so much sugar the Kurogane could stomach and, one breakfast, he drew the line and refused to eat what Fai had made, pushing back the pastries and hot chocolate and huffily stalking from the room. Too caught up in his own grand departure, he quite missed the somewhat hurt expression on his fiancé's face.

At lunch, Fai served the meal as usual, though he was strangely silent. Kurogane, hungry after skipping breakfast, was eager to eat some of the rather tasty looking lamb the other had prepared, taking a big bite –

- And gagging, choking on the horribly salty flavour of the food. What had Fai done, dumped a whole _bag _of the condiment in?

Fai smiled at him. "Is something wrong, Kuro-wanko?" His eyes were glowing with a rich amusement that was more darkly-edged than normal, lips set with a vaguely triumphant curve. "Is the food not to your liking?" A _challenge._

"…It's fine." Kurogane went back to eating, choking down his meal. He refused to back down from the other's dare by complaining, and so he swallowed his pride with every foul-tasting mouthful, Fai's pointed revenge for his constant complaints. It tasted _disgusting _but Kurogane ate it all, and then he ran off to be violently sick in the garden.

For dinner that night Fai served his usual good food, finishing the meal with one of his saccharine-sweet desserts. Kurogane ate everything that was put before him, thankful for edible food, his lesson well and truly learned.

Kurogane never – loudly – insulted Fai's cooking again. (He grumbled in the corners instead.)

* * *

"What," Watanuki asked as soon as he'd put down the tray of sake and snacks he'd been carrying out from the kitchen to the garden and pointing at the irritatingly familiar golden-eyed bird sitting in a tree there, "is _he _doing here?"

"Doumeki-kun is an emissary from the Faerie Court," Yuuko laid a hand on the bird's neck, disturbing the gold chain the eagle wore there. "He helps me organise wishes and collect prices."

"The Faerie Court…" Watanuki was aware Yuuko occasionally had members of the fey as customers, but usually the race kept themselves to themselves. He took a seat at the table his employer sat at. "I wasn't aware there _was _a Court."

"Oh yes, there is one," Yuuko nodded rather sagely, taking some of the sake and pouring it into a round cup for their guest before pouring herself some as well. "It's ruled over by Ashura-ou, their king – in theory, anyway."

"'In theory'…?"

Yuuko waved a hand, dismissing the issue. "You needn't worry about that."

Watanuki nodded, still curious – and then he noticed Doumeki wolfing down the snacks he'd brought out to the garden. _"Hey, leave some for others, you pig!"_

Doumeki continued to eat, ignoring Watanuki entirely.

_"Hey!" _Watanuki snatched away the tray of snacks, moving them out of the eagle's range. "Answer me, you glutton!"

"Watanuki-kun," Yuuko stole one of the mochi balls Watanuki was trying to pull away, "Doumeki-kun can't say anything when he's wearing the fey crest around his neck."

Her reluctant employee looked at her. "…He can't?" Yuuko shook her head. "Why not? Is it a spell?" The witch nodded, and sipped some of her drink. _"Oh." _

Watanuki looked at Doumeki, and Doumeki looked back.

Watanuki set the tray down with a clatter, and reached over rather aggressively to lift the chain with the crest on it from around the eagle's neck. For all he was huffing all the while, Watanuki's movements were very gentle, careful not to snag a feather or scratch any part of the bird's face.

He set the chain down on the table they were sat at, hearing the soft _clink_. "_Now _you can answer me, you idiot bird."

Silence.

"Doumeki."

Slowly, Watanuki turned, only to find the eagle having slunk around his person, Doumeki happily tucking into the snacks Watanuki had prepared.

_"Say 'itadakimasu', you pig!"_

"Itadakimasu," Doumeki said, beak-full, and kept right on eating.

* * *

Five months of living together, and Fai was still being a pain – a confusing, contrary, bewildering _pain. _He not-whistled and he warbled, endlessly vague when pressed for answers, avoiding any and all issues that were of relative importance, that were simply too personal for him to divulge. For someone who prattled about 'togetherness' Fai seemed quite determined to keep Kurogane and himself very much apart, his body prancing forwards to declare undying love for 'Kuro-wan-wan' with a fake smile firmly fixed in place whilst his mind took all its secrets and locked them deep, _deep _within the mage's labyrinthine self. It irritated Kurogane, but nothing he'd tried to do had gotten the blond to open up for any longer than a few seconds.

It was morning again, another day where the two occupants of the house would wage another stage of their endless war with one another, all without raising a single (truly) hostile _finger. _It was giving Kurogane a headache – or perhaps that was just Fai, _hyuu_ing away a stupid little tune into the kitchen Kurogane padded into –

And promptly stopped dead in his tracks.

"Kuro-chan!" Fai had turned at the sound of the wolf's claws on the tiles, his smile sunshine incarnate, innocence all but _radiating _off of him. "Good morning."

"…That's my shirt." Kurogane's mind had temporarily shut down, caught on the long-sleeved white button-up the mage was wearing rather loosely and stalling between Fai's beautifully exposed collarbone and bare legs that went on for ever and ever and –

"It makes a good nightshirt." Fai's smile inched up another degree as he shifted, the shirt hem brushing his mid-thigh and if he stretched just a little Kurogane would probably be able to see –

_He was a wolf. _Lusting after scantily dressed men whilst in animal form had to be ranking highly on the list of things that were Very, _Very _Wrong in the universe, especially when said men were blond, blue-eyed and probably very, very bad to know. Kurogane was going to do the very sensible thing and put the whole affair out of his mind, remembering strongly that Fai was an idiot and a liar and a pest and a tease, slept around, drank all the alcohol, flirted outrageously, looked sinfully good to eat at the moment and had those wonderful _hands _that felt so good when being used to stroke and – this really wasn't working.

"Will a ham omelette be alright, Kuro-pii?" Fai had turned around again, his back to the wolf as he returned to his cooking, mixing eggs and milk in a bowl. "I can make you a few of them, if you'd like-"

Kurogane still hadn't moved from the doorway. "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

Fai tossed him an amused glance over his shoulder, far too coy for the shinobi's current disposition. "Would Kuro-rin prefer it if I took it off? My, how very _forward _of Kuro-pon, but then I suppose it's nothing daddy hasn't seen before – _especially _since he ogles me whilst I'm swimming -"

_"I don't ogle you whilst you're swimming!"_ If Kurogane had been human right then, he would've been embarrassingly bright red – thankfully, his fur hid his blush, his defences slammed up as high as they could go. "I don't _ogle!"_

"No?" Fai turned around, still holding the bowl. "What _does _Kuro-pu do then? Because he's clearly doing _something – _my face is up here, Kuro-pervert." The blond pointed helpfully to his head, smile bright and eyes glittering with what could only be described as evil. "You've been talking to my legs since you came through the door."

Kurogane _choked, _and hastily averted to look at the wall just to the left of Fai's smirk, refusing to carry on that thread of the conversation. "…Wear your own damn shirt to bed."

"Aw, Kuro-daddy never wants to share -"

_"My name is Kuro_gane." The wolf wasn't in the mood to be baited anymore; his growl then actually vicious as he locked gazes with his troublesome fiancé. "You'd think after this long even _you _would be able to get that through your idiot skull."

"_Saa," _Fai refused to drop his smile, "Kuro-tan is being grumpy again -"

_"Stop," _Kurogane told him firmly, harshly, cutting through whatever falsehoods Fai let fall from his lips. "Mage, have you ever – _ever – _told the truth before in your life?"

Fai stopped stirring, and his smile flickered.

Kurogane continued to glare at him. "I don't care what it is you're running away from – and you _are _running," the wolf insisted brusquely, seeing Fai about to attempt to protest, "but don't you _dare _try to convince me that everything's fine in your fucked-up little world. All the pretty faces you pull don't hide the fact that you're a liar – whatever the hell it is that you're so fixated on, _get over it. _The world goes on as usual, with or without your cooperation." The warrior turned around then, and stalked from the kitchen. He wasn't in the mood to put up with any more of Fai's stupidity that morning, regardless of how attractive and distracting the idiot tried to be.

Behind him, Fai quietly put down the bowl he'd been holding on the nearest bench, his smile still faltering, shaking with the trembles that ran through his arms. He steadied himself against the bench, and willed his legs to not give out on him, too shaky to even make it to a chair.

Kurogane always noticed the _unnecessary _things.

* * *

Bedtime that night was…an _awkward _affair, to say the least. When dusk fell Kurogane had changed form, pulling on some of his clothes to go outside and run through his exercises with Souhi once more. Fai had heard him go but, having really nothing better to do, had headed upstairs to bed, changing into his (own) nightshirt and slipping between the sheets, face-down as usual.

One of the biggest problem with the lights going out automatically at dusk – even when the days were relatively long -, was that Fai was hardly ever actually _tired _when he tried to sleep. He really wasn't in a walking mood – going out the door would probably lead him past Kurogane anyway, and the wolf had been distinctly cold all day – and there wasn't anything else he could do, save twiddle his thumbs in distraction.

Fai's heartbeat counted out the passing time, the drag of air into his lungs the minutes trailing by, quiet lulling the blond into a withdrawn daze, not really thinking of anything. The _click _of the bedroom door then, when it came, was jarring, infinitely loud to Fai's ears, a crack across his consciousness.

"You're still awake?" Kurogane's voice was rumbling, the man bringing with him the scent of the shower, the lingering breeze still on the edges of his skin. He'd washed after coming in from his exercises, and Fai's lips curled just a little bitterly at the knowledge. That was Kuro-wanko all over - considerate to the last.

"I'm awake." Fai raised his head answered the question even though he had the feeling it had been a rhetorical one – Kurogane seemed to be one of those irritating ones who could analyse breathing, or something equally exasperating to his avoidant housemate.

"I know," there was the sound of Souhi being put within reaching distance on what had somehow (disturbingly) become 'Kurogane's side of the bed', another's weight pulling down that end of the mattress. Instinctively Fai looked that way, head still on his arms, even though he couldn't see anything. "I'm just surprised you're not sleeping by now, babbling away to yourself." Fai froze. "You didn't know?" (So apparently the irksome wolf _could _monitor breathing.) "You talk in your sleep – the problem's always been getting you to shut up."

Fai's insides felt they'd been turned to ice, his usually quite-lively tongue suddenly feeling like a dead thing in his mouth. The only people he'd ever slept beside had been Yuui, Chii and Ashura-ou – Yuui had never mentioned anything, so he probably hadn't talked in his childhood; Chii was too sweet to ever mention anything, and Ashura-ou…

"Don't worry; you didn't say anything incriminating." Kurogane kept talking, strangely relishing in the horrified silence in the room.

And then Fai laughed. The sound was sliver-thin, a little sharp, definitely strained. "Silly Kuro-kun-kun…" his actual words sounded even worse. "Who could I possibly have to incriminate?"

"Yourself?" It was phrased as a suggestion, delicate, slender, a wonderful stiletto blade Fai thought would be much better suited in his own grip – but then, Kurogane seemed to delight in proving him wrong. The warrior could be clumsy in verbal sparring, but his directness tore away at the issue in such a way that most opponents would cower in submission rather than take on the scary, bulkier man head-to-head.

"Kuro-mu already thinks I'm guilty of heinous crimes -" the weight on the bed shifted then, rolling from the end where Kurogane was and moving closer to Fai. The fleeting, automatic urge to flee burst into the mage's mind then, crystal-clear that he had to get away, away, _away, _but he only got as far as tensing his arms to push himself up before he felt foreign fingers in his hair, an intrusion and surprise that robbed him of speech and compulsion for a few startled milliseconds. Short as the shock was its after-effects lingered unpleasantly, the feeling of being corned, of being held in place. Those fingers were easily capable of tightening and yanking and –

Fai was suddenly, strangely thankful Kurogane had touched his hair, and not his face. He stared blindly into the darkness, wishing he could turn his head away from where his fiancé was so unexpectedly _closer, _but didn't quite dare, feeling the challenge thrumming in the digits moving through strands of blond. (Had it been anyone else, Fai could've called the motions a caress, a pet, something soothing to send him off into sleep. It wasn't anyone else – it was Kurogane, the unknown factor, in the middle of what was hastily degenerating into a thinly-veiled argument.)

"I don't think you're guilty." Astute as he was – _damn _him -, Kurogane had to have heard the quickening in his companion's breathing, easily linking it his intrusive actions. "I think that _you _think you are. You can't run from yourself forever."

And yet Fai had managed to do so for a terribly long time. Once half a millennium had passed he'd stopped bothering to count, focusing on nothing, caught up in a current he'd never cared to break free from. He had one goal, and that could be reached in many ways. If he didn't stop, didn't think, his smile would never, never slip, and he could pass on by through the lives on more transient things, never hurting anyone.

Kurogane pulled on the blond's hair – gently but firmly -, and Fai acquiesced to the other's silent request in the black, following the tilt of his head and rolling over onto his back. He was freer then, for a few blessed seconds, but Kurogane followed him across and Fai froze up once more as warm breath hit the side of his neck, another body far too close. His magic stirred within him, protective, defensive, but he leashed it back.

"We haven't really…_christened _this bed yet, have we?"

"Ne, Kuro-myu…" the blond's own breath felt like it was stuck in his throat, words coming out as a smothered whisper in the darkness, "this _is _only a…an engagementafter all, so we needn't – needn't-" He'd only ever – he flirted yes, but Kurogane – he'd never… He'd flirted with Kurogane to push the other _away – _he'd seen at once the wolf wouldn't like his games, and so used them time and time again to drive a wedge between them. People were malleable creatures – time, experience and the fey had taught Fai that quite well. Pretty faces were tools for distraction, prettier words and smoother motions offering a form of control that was perfect for one who had lived his early life with no control over it whatsoever. As long as people looked at the shell – beautiful, willing – they were too distracted to care about the intricately ruined soul within.

A warm finger was placed over Fai's lips, and the mage fell silent, caged within the sheets over him and two broad hands, one at his mouth, the other still in his hair. He felt trapped, even when the finger on his lips fell away.

"I'm not a wolf at night." Kurogane really _was _entirely too close for comfort, a heavy, warm presence looming over Fai, the hair on the blond's skin standing upright, prickling with the knowledge of another body so near, his magic antsy in tune with his own feelings.

Fai laughed a little weakly, tilting his head to the side on his pillow again, inching away from his fiancé. The pull on his hair kept him from going too far. Although he couldn't see anything, he could _feel _Kurogane's red eyes burning a hole through him through the night – that was, of course, assuming the wolf kept the same colour of eyes when he changed form. "Believe me, Kuro-tan, I noticed." …If Kurogane actually _was _reciprocating on Fai's flirting now; he had a _horrible _sense of timing. Truthfully, this felt much more like Kurogane was attempting to prove a point –

"And yet, for all your forwardness at other times, you don't act on it."

Fai's lips pressed into a thin line, rankling at the words behind Kurogane's speech, turning back to look at the one he couldn't see. "I never got the impression Kuro-wankoro ever _wanted _me to act on it." His magic rose higher, cold fire inside of him, and Fai knew from experience that that could be felt by those even _slightly _receptive to magic, a change in the air, a warning. He tried to swallow it down, the furious chill hanging about his heart even as he forced a smile on his face. He raised a hand from where it had been curled, claw-like, in the sheets, pressing it against Kurogane's chest, feeling the shirt's cloth sticking to skin still slightly damp from showering. "But if that's what Kuro-piyuu wants -"

Kurogane yanked Fai's hair. _Hard, _with his fingers twisted in tightly near the roots so that Fai actually saw blinding stars for an instant and instinctively _pushed _against the one holding him, shoving Kurogane to the side. The action only made the pain worse, fire racing across Fai's scalp as it felt like some of his hair had actually been yanked _out_.

The blond rolled on his side, curling in a little on himself automatically, one hand cradling his then aching head as he kept his back to Kurogane. "_Kuro-"_

The other cut him off. "If you ever say something that stupid again I'll punch you." Kurogane's voice was completely unsympathetic, a low growl at Fai's back, a heavy, unsettling presence. The shinobi was irate – Fai had clearly listened to nothing that had been said that morning. That the mage could be such an _idiot, _offering his mask out on a careless whim –

"I was going to say…" Fai's own voice was still pain-laced, but colder, still angry. "Isn't hair-pulling usually a past-time of _women?" _He sat up on the bed, glaring down where he thought Kurogane was. "A direct blow seems a lot more like the _manly _Kuro-tan – or would you prefer to gouge out my eyes with your painted nails instead?"

Kurogane growled again, taking the jabs to his pride and honour with predictable bad grace. Discovering the mage actually _did _have a backbone under his idiocy was both a blessing and a curse – Fai could, quite apparently, be _vicious _with his quicksilver tongue.

"I think I left some of the laundry lying about earlier." Fai slid off the bed, striding around it – he knew the layout of the room; he'd left nothing lying about to trip over – and to the door. "I'll go put it away."

Kurogane sat up as well, loathing the blatant escape. "_Mage -"_

Fai ignored him, opening the door and stepping out. "I'll see you later."

It was worthless pursuing him when he was like that. "This conversation isn't over."

Fai left the room, and shut the door on him.

Kurogane wasn't really surprised when he found one of Fai's notes addressed to him the following morning, explaining why the blond had never returned to bed the previous night. Fai had gone to his home instead – and this time, he didn't give a time for when he was planning on coming back.

* * *

He was standing in the garden at night, fireflies around him brighter than the stars overhead. (At least there _were _stars this time.) The pendant Syaoran had given to him, that the brunet had said had been a gift from the Zashiki-warashi, was warm around his throat, the glowing insects drawn to it, to him, circling him in rings of light.

Watanuki tasted smoke on the air and turned, unsurprised to see Doumeki's grandfather sitting on Yuuko's porch again, the tip of his cigarette a red ember in the darkness.

"Doumeki-san," Watanuki bowed his head slightly, in deference to his companion's age. He hoped that Doumeki was the man's family name, that _this _Doumeki was the paternal grandfather of the bird-Doumeki he was (sadly) growing accustomed to in his daily – awake – life.

"Call me Haruka, my given name." 'Haruka' smiled, exhaling another mouthful of smoke, a haze that the fireflies darted through, drawing patterns in the wispy air. "It would be confusing otherwise, hm?"

Watanuki smiled back at him. "Haruka-san, why am I dreaming of you?" And then he remembered the man's words of their previous discussion. "Why are we here together?"

A pause as Haruka took another drag of his cigarette. "Perhaps you wished to speak with me?"

Watanuki went to take a seat at the man's side, kneeling down in the traditional pose, hands flat and relaxed against his thighs. "I'm not sure what it is I want to talk about," he admitted.

"Then talk about whatever you feel like." Another exhalation of smoke into the air, soothing in its regularity. "I don't mind."

So Watanuki talked about whatever came to mind, and Haruka listened. And in the morning, strangely content, Watanuki woke up.

* * *

_"Fai!!" _

The call was a delighted one, golden as the lazy sunbeams that slid in through the room's windows, catching strands of long gold as they trailed behind their mistress, Chii flinging herself at her beloved Fai the moment he stepped through the doors, her words a babble of happiness and joy.

"Chii," Fai instinctively caught the waif-like cat-girl, arms sliding safely around Chii's delicate waist as she spun her own around his neck, pulling his head down so she could affectionately rub his cheek against her own, cat ears tickling slightly where they touched skin. He breathed in, his eyes slipping closed, familiarising himself with her warmth, the smile in her voice, everything that he'd based the child in his arms upon. He shifted his head to the side, kissing her forehead fondly. "_Chii."_

"Fai never said he was coming home!" From any other person those words would've been a rebuke, but with Chii there was no scolding, only delight at a wonderful surprise, happiness that her beloved was with her.

"Indeed, he didn't…" A new voice joined the discussion, smoother, black like the sweep of hair the same shade as a raven's wing about a familiar pale face – Ashura-ou. The faerie's lips were curved slightly, a gentle smile, his eyes – such a dark gold – looking at the brighter golden pair in the room before him, the beautiful children.

"It was a whim of the moment," Fai spoke against Chii's hair, but his eyes were locked with his king's. "My apologies for the lack of warning before my arrival."

"You need never apologise for coming home." Ashura's steps were light, quick, his touch gentle as he brushed the back of one hand over the cheek Chii wasn't nuzzled under, smiling a little more softly when Fai dropped his eyes, assuming the action was prompted by guilt, subservience, bashfulness.

"This…" Fai couldn't meet the faerie's eyes then, his hold tightening on Chii defensively, automatically, the girl looking up at him, wide eyes reflecting her concern. "Ashura-ou, this isn't 'home'."

Something flickered across Ashura's expression then, but since no-one was looking at him, no-one caught it, too focused on Fai, the butterfly caught against the glass. "…Time passes quickly; the year of your bonding with that thing you currently live with will be over soon enough, and Yuui will be well and with us once more. That will be home then, won't it? What you've always wanted?"

"That is…what I have always wanted." The words seemed difficult to find, even as Fai carefully began unwinding himself from Chii, realising how closely he was clutching the girl, using her as a safety blanket against a mental concern.

Freed from Fai's hold Chii remained pressed against her creator's side, letting out the soft 'chii' sound that had given her her name. Her smile, when she looked up at Fai again, was hopefully innocent. "Fai will come home then, won't he? With Yuui? Chii would like to meet Yuui – will Yuui like Chii?"

"Yuui will _love _Chii," Fai assured the girl, pleased when the response to his words was a beam, a flash of white teeth.

"Chii," Ashura laid a hand upon the girl's head, smiling genially down at her when she looked at him curiously, "why don't you go make some hot chocolate in the kitchen to welcome Fai home? I'm sure he'd like a treat after his journey." Chii brightened at the suggestion, immediately scampering off and leaving the two males alone.

Fai slanted his eyes at his guardian, dropping slightly tentative words into the air. "…It's rather warm for hot chocolate."

"I'm sure you'll drink it regardless." Ashura took the boy's face in his hands, leaning down to place a kiss on Fai's lips – but the child shifted, the kiss landing on the corner of Fai's mouth instead. Ashura withdrew a little, contemplative. "…Your sweet tooth is the one thing about you that never changes." Everything else, however, apparently did.

Fai got cooler every visit, the smile the boy had worn since he was eleven having slipped away to slit its own throat in the shadows somewhere. Ashura couldn't think what caused it save physical distance; the boy had always been cold somewhere inside of himself, detached, but rarely had it showed on the surface so much. It couldn't be the one Fai had engaged himself too. Though the silver ring on Fai's finger gleamed brightly no answering glitter could ever be drawn from the blond's heart – Ashura had tried; Chii had tried, and still Fai danced through life like a doll, uncaring of exactly where it was he placed his feet. It had suited Fai to be affectionate before and Ashura-ou could see no reason why that suit should have changed –

"…I shouldn't have come here." Fai's eyes were blue, rimmed with shadow as he looked up at Ashura-ou for a flickering instant, and then straight past the Faerie King.

Ashura pitied the boy – pitied him and loved him, his own heart aching at the hurt Fai felt. What he would do for this child… "Where else would you have gone?"

"I could've stayed -"

Ashura's fingers dug just a little harder into the skin of Fai's face, a tiny amount of extra pressure. "With the wolf?" The faerie's tone was blank. "When he's forced you out so many times already?"

Despite himself, Fai found himself leaping to his fiancé's defence. "Kuro-chan didn't -"

"Fai…" Ashura kissed him again, a brush of lips against his temple. It was a soothing gesture, but Fai's heart quickened, a sudden mad flutter of bird's wings in his chest. He didn't – Ashura - "_My _Fai…don't you know what it is he's done?" Fai didn't _want _to know. He didn't – he _didn't – _"He's the one who took Yuui away – my curse is what turned him into a wolf."

It had been _Kurogane-? _Fai's stomach lurched then suddenly, heaved, and he thought he was going to be sick for a moment, stumbling back one step, two, pieces clicking together in his mind and leaving uncomfortable truths that clogged his throat, stole his breath. Kurogane – Kurogane – _Kurogane –_

Kuro-sama, Kuro-chan, Kuro-wanko _knew, _damn him, damn him, _damn him, _about the past, about Yuui, red eyes sharp and clear and _knowing –_

_"Why?" _Fai hated the sound of his own voice then, trembling, one of his hands against the wall for support, his hair in his eyes so that everything was all shadows and gold. There had to be a reason – Kurogane was so, so, so _predictable _in many ways, and to kidnap an enchanted youth and steal him away to places unknown didn't mesh with the honourable, growly person Fai had come to know, a broken mirror whose shards had got mixed up with pieces of a shattered vase.

"I don't know." Ashura was honest then, calm – how long had he _known? _Fai didn't know why the faerie had kept such a thing a secret; didn't know why Ashura hadn't _kept _such a thing a secret; didn't know what to think right now, something burning and aching uncomfortably in his chest. Why had Ashura told him? Why had Ashura told him _now? _Didn't Ashura trust Kurogane near Fai? Did Ashura not trust _Fai _near Kurogane? (The years kept away from others were sharp reminders then, slivers that dug into his already bleeding mind.)

"I…" Fai drew a breath, lost it, licked his lips and summoned forth will again. "I'm going to go help Chii in the kitchen." Ashura caught his sleeve as he went past – Fai looked at him, blue against darkened gold. "Please let me go."

Ashura let him go and Fai went to the kitchen, forcing another smile to meet Chii as she bustled about there. She was pleased to see him, as always, abandoning the hot chocolate to cuddle against Fai once more, soft and warm and _Chii._

Her words were quiet. "Chii really misses Fai when Fai is gone."

Fai smiled at the girl, beckoning her a little closer and petting her on the head. Chii snuggled into him further with a contented sound. Fai's eyes were warm. "I miss you too, Chii."

"Does Fai really have to go again?"

"I made a promise…" And he tried to keep his promises, when he made them sincerely. (He didn't make sincere promises often.)

"But -" Chii struggled a little with any form of rebuttal against her precious Fai, "but Chii is worried about Fai." She plucked at his left hand, threading her fingers with his so that his engagement ring glittered, the light picking out the tiny runes it was inscribed with. "Fai still hasn't seen the one he's living with properly?" Fai had told Ashura-ou that his fiancé adopted a different form at night-time, but he'd never thought Chii had been listening – "When Kuro-chan is not a wolf?" Apparently she'd picked up his usage of nicknames, too.

Fai looked at their joined hands, mildly curious as to where his pet was going with this. "It worries you that I haven't seen him at night-time?"

"Chii is worried about Fai," the girl repeated simply. "Fai doesn't know who Kuro-chan is."

Fai strongly doubted Kurogane knew who _Fai _really was either – but then, Yuui – "What does Chii want me to do about it?"

Chii was sweet, and innocent, and completely ignorant to just how very demanding her request was, failing to understand the impact of her words and letting them trip out from her delicate throat, pressing a candle into Fai's surprised hands. "Look at him."

* * *

They made an amusing pair, the bristling boy and the impassive eagle – by everyone _else's _standards, anyway. Watanuki preferred not to think of Doumeki and himself in the same _sentence_ never mind the same general physical vicinity, taking great pleasure in each stomp he took as he stormed along in high dudgeon, Doumeki flying from tree-branch to tree-branch to always keep just a little ahead of his companion, in Watanuki's sights (if the youth ever purposefully looked at him) and able to spot any problems that could potentially be coming up.

"Oi." The eagle spoke; Watanuki ignored him. "_Oi."_

"My name," Watanuki hissed, refusing to look up at the golden bird overhead, "is not 'oi'."

Doumeki, in turn, ignored the other's complaint. "This way is fey territory." They'd been travelling straight from Yuuko's shop for about an hour, Watanuki having begged a little free time from his duties (which Yuuko had sworn he'd make up again) to…go ahead and do some personal little mission of his own. Doumeki had tagged along with him (much to Watanuki's dismay), the eagle having noted the human teen had taken neither the Mokona nor the kudakitsune with him.

Watanuki grouched, wishing very much he was alone. "This is the Enchanted Forest." Stupid Doumeki. "Nearly _everywhere _is fey territory." Stupid never-ending forest, as well. But Himawari-chan had said she'd seen the clearing this way, so this was the way he was going. (Himawari wouldn't have gotten it wrong – it had to be Doumeki's presence that was making the journey seem so long.)

"Some fey are worse than others." Doumeki didn't try to stop Watanuki, knowing that the youth wouldn't understand him – or _want _to understand him, either. He'd seen the light that had come into Watanuki's eyes when Himawari had mentioned seeing a clearing full of silver flowers from her tower the week before, a certain stubborn set in the spastic teen's shoulder when the girl had sighed something about never being able to see one up close. Doumeki had known what Watanuki was planning almost immediately – it had just been a question of timing.

So there they were, the two of them, heading for the glade of silver flowers. It grew dimmer the closer they got to the clearing, the air becoming still. After a little while a strange fog appeared, hanging between the trees perpetually at utter odds to the summer day, tree-trunks damp with beads of chilly moisture.

It grew dimmer again as they kept moving, greyer, harder to see. The canopy was a vague shadow looming overhead, the distance an unknown, the ground lost in heavy curls of slow fog. Watanuki felt vaguely like he was floating – he would've believed he was, but he could hear the crunch and snap of twigs as his feet hit the ground. As for the terrible, nauseating miasma that hung about…

It really, to put it bluntly, gave Watanuki the creeps.

"Oi," Doumeki spoke suddenly after a long period of silence, and Watanuki jumped like a startled cat. (He made a noise that _sounded _like one too.)

_"Don't sneak up on me like that!!"_

Doumeki found it unnecessary to point out he'd been beside Watanuki the whole time, so there was really very little sneaking involved.

"You should be apologising to me, the great Watanuki-sama, for the trauma that is caused by your very_ presence!!"_ Right. "You, you who are not fit to– _listen to me when I'm talking to you, you stupid bird!!"_

Doumeki pulled away the wing he'd been using to cover his head and muffle Watanuki's ranting when he saw the black-haired youth had paused his tirade. "Oi -"

_"How many times do I have to tell you, you jerk?! My name is not '_oi'!"

Again, Doumeki ignored him. "Are you going to continue on this way?"

Watanuki raised his chin resolutely, as if defying the eagle to stop him. "Yes."

They went on together again. The fog grew denser, thicker, and everything was shadow. Strange off-white ropes hung down from the branches overhead that glistened sickly when Watanuki drew close to them – he reached out a hand to touch one, but Doumeki stopped him, beating his outstretched limb away with one strong wing.

"Don't touch them." He didn't say why but Watanuki listened to him for a change (and if Doumeki ever brought the fact up that he'd paid attention to one he called a jerk on a frequent basis he was never going to admit that it was because the eagle's golden wings were the brightest things in this strange part of the forest, almost glowing in the gloom).

They went on again, Watanuki keeping an eye out for the flowers Himawari had spoke of and avoiding the ropes that hung around them, weird loops and strings that grew more and more prominent the further they went, nets of the substance everywhere.

And then Watanuki saw the flowers.

They were silver, like Himawari had said, large, with wide petals and blood-red stigmas and filaments. They grew together in clumps of about three or four, gleaming oddly and almost…_wetly _from between the ropes and strings of the substance Doumeki had warned Watanuki not to touch.

Watanuki leaned in to pick one – carefully, carefully, taking pains not to touch the glistening ropes that surrounded it – and as soon as he'd snapped the stem free the flower in his hand began to _scream_.

It was a dying shriek, painfully loud and high, startling Watanuki so much the youth stumbled back, still holding the screaming flower, colliding with a net of the rope behind him, becoming tangled and snarled in sticky bonds.

Doumeki flew down to tear him out immediately, batting aside Watanuki's flailing hands (that only served to get him more entangled) and ripping into the strands with his sharp beak. There was a strange chittering, chattering in the distance, in the fog around them, the sound of soft feet on twigs, on the soil, clicks and snips that became all the more audible as the flower's shriek finally began to quieten.

Free of the bonds, the ropes, the net, the _web _Watanuki stood, yanking off the last of the sticky strands that clung to his clothes and skin, not given the chance to glance around him into the fog before Doumeki was butting him in the bank, _shoving_ Watanuki into a stumbling run back the way they had came.

Watanuki was a fast runner - escaping from spirits in Nihon had given him a lot of practice when he'd been younger -, his old instincts kicking in as he pumped his legs into motion, trying to avoid tripping over his feet or tree roots as he ran and ran and _ran, _escaping the noises behind him, the strange fog, the foul miasma. Doumeki flew at his side, golden feathers aglow and that was good in so many ways as it seemed like the bird gave light to see, it was bad, oh bad because the bird was so easily _visible –_

Watanuki and Doumeki burst out of the fog safe, unscathed, into the summer sunshine, but they kept up their fast speed for quite a while, stopping only when Watanuki staggered to a halt, leaning against a tree as he panted, Doumeki taking refuge on a branch above.

Behind them, in the fog, the chittering things seethed after the thieves, the destroyers, black eyes hot and angry as the legions came before them, telling them of what the intruders had done, of the golden bird they'd seen and the black-haired boy.

A grudge was born.

* * *

Yuuko was reclining in her garden when the portal opened beside her, her dark green kimono tied with its over-elaborate bow at the front, hem slashed far too high and revealing her pale legs.

"Ashura…" she wasn't really surprised to see the Faerie Regent on the other side, raising her cup of sake (ever on-hand) to her lips and taking a sip. Truthfully, she'd been expecting to be contacted a lot sooner.

_"Yuuko-san." _Ashura looked as lovely as always, strings of beads in his/her hair and hanging from his/her ears rattling as they moved slightly. (Ashura accepted being called by either gender usually, but Yuuko preferred to leave off all honorifics, neutral. Since it was Yuuko, and it was unwise to vex the witch, it was allowed.) The faerie didn't look happy. _"I trust you know the reason behind my call?"_

Yuuko only smiled. "…How strange of you to not send Doumeki-kun to see me, so that we could talk through the crest you have him wear." The fey preferred to flaunt their power aesthetically when they could; Doumeki's crest was just one way of showing off, talking between parties many miles apart without the use of new spells being drawn into the air. Crafting a new portal each time was, for the fey, considered rather inelegant, but when needs must…

_"My messenger is currently absent at this time." _Ashura's lips were a thin line, golden eyes serious. _"As no doubt is your apprentice."_

"Those events _do _tend to correlate, don't they?" Yuuko's smile turned satisfied. "Doumeki-kun paid his price of time in servitude; it is only fair he gains his return eventually."

_"Equal trade, Yuuko-san – I know how your business works." _

"Which is why," Yuuko returned, "you must pay the price if you wish to ask me questions about your father."

_"I will send more wine as soon as Doumeki returns to Court – the nectar from the World Tree, three lanterns full." _That was enough to rejuvenate at least twenty faeries, keep them magically safe and strong. The nectar from the World Tree, obtained only once a year, was part of what kept the fey alive for so very long.

Yuuko finished the last of her drink. "That is acceptable."

_"My father's favourite…has left for the home I have given him?"_

"That is where Fai-ouji resides, for the most part." Syaoran was always forthcoming with his tales when he returned to the shop. "He occasionally leaves to visit Ashura-ou."

_"…But my father is alone in his house, for the most part?"_

"With the magical creature Fai-ouji made, yes."

_"…Why does he not return to Court, then? Surely there is nothing for him there?"_

"Ah…" Yuuko met Ashura's gaze directly then, red and gold. Her expression was pitying, clearly seeing the almost _lost _look haunting the faerie. "Have you ever thought of it more of a case that is not what is _not _there for him, but what _would _be there for him were he somewhere else?"

The Faerie Regent frowned a little, following the subtleties the witch was suggesting. _"…Yuuko-san, what is it exactly that you are telling me?"_

Yuuko told the child directly, in return for the price, and Ashura immediately cut the connection between them as soon as it was done, the portal shattering in the air.

The garden was painfully quiet after that.

* * *

It took a fortnight for Fai to finally return to the house beside the waterfall, Kurogane noting the mage sitting in the garden when he looked out of the window one morning, a bunch of flowers in his hand as he looked up at the clouds overhead.

Kurogane didn't say anything to him, but he went downstairs and opened the front door, sitting on the step until such a time as his estranged fiancé would finally come back down to earth. They stayed like that for over an hour – silent.

And then Fai spoke. "…Does Kuro-chan know the name of these flowers?" He gestured to the blooms he held loosely in his grasp, an invitation for his companion to come a little closer to see them better. "Where I came from they were called Myosotis, but they have a more common name now."

Kurogane came closer, inspecting the flora. He'd trained himself to recognise different plant life, finding the skill useful as a shinobi. Many plants could be used in potions and poisons, and it was important to be able to tell helpful plants from dangerous ones.

"…Forget-me-nots," he said rather blandly, eventually, not needing the colour of the petals to be able to identify them. "The maiden's flower."

"For remembrance between lovers," Fai chided gently, "something that is common to both genders. For fidelity and enduring love as long as the petals hold their hue – and with forget-me-nots, that can be a terribly long time." He held the flowers a little closer. "I picked these myself, as I came here."

Kurogane only blinked once at that – he'd assumed the mage's absent lover had given them to him. "Then go put them into a vase," he said brusquely, "before they wilt."

Fai stood then, and went into the house, searching out a vase. Kurogane followed him in, unsurprised to hear the blond's exclamation when he entered the kitchen to fill the vase with water, Fai catching sight of the dishes that had been left near the sink.

"Kuro-sama is such a dirty doggy!" Kurogane was unrepentant, trotting after the other and sitting just inside the room, listening to Fai make a soft '_hyuu' _at the mound. "…At least he didn't starve whilst I was away."

"I cooked at night-time," the wolf said in response, "and ate what I'd made the following day." It wasn't like he was a _complete _failure in the kitchen – it had just always made much more sense to let Fai cook during the daytime hours, as the blond had hands, and could see then. Although he'd had fingers at night, cooking in the darkness had been a horrible ordeal.

Fai clapped his hands. "Uwaaa~, Kuro-wanko is such a _clever _doggy!"

Kurogane huffed and lay down, resting his head on his paws as the other bustled about, putting the forget-me-nots in their vase on the kitchen table and tidying up some of the mess in the kitchen. "Only in comparison to _you, _idiot."

"Kuro-rin is calling me names again…"

"You've never stopped calling me names since we first met!!"

"It's because Kuro-pon is so fun to play with~." Fai laughed, and it sounded more…_real _than it usually did, a strange bubbling that echoed in the previously quiet house, filling it with a brightness that simply hadn't been there when the blond had been gone. The mage suddenly crouched, on-level with his fiancé, his tone almost fond. "Such a grouchy puppy."

After the first week, Kurogane hadn't really expected Fai to return to the house. He'd been planning on waiting a month before (reluctantly) returning to see the witch again, but then…here was Fai, speaking his usual nonsense, smiling his smiles framed by pale hair that had got even _longer _whilst he'd been away (and made the mage look even _more _like a girl).

"Kuro-sama must," Fai said, stretching out a hand and laying it on the wolf's neck during his companion's silence, idly smoothing down the spiky fur there, "come from a place where there is very little need for words, because his eyes seem to say everything for him." Never mind that his own did too; Fai shielded his eyes with his fringe and his smile, disarming pointed glances his way with his shatterglass mask. "If I…had something precious, Kuro-sama would be the one I'd trust with it, to look after it, to protect it."

_Honesty. _Kurogane could hear it sound in the mage's voice, an odd chime when the blond was sober and the light still shone outside the house. Did the man know-?

Fai went on, looking up properly, meeting the wolf's gaze with the most directness he'd ever managed. "Kuro-sama seems like the sort he always does everything with the very best of his intentions, to the best of his ability."

Kurogane didn't quite know what it was Fai was searching for in his expression. "I attack to defend what I hold dear, mage. And since what I defend is precious, I always give it my all."

Fai smiled again, sweetly, patting Kurogane on the head and standing. "We could all do with taking a lesson from Kuro-chan then, ne?" He went back to tidying the kitchen.

Kurogane remained sitting, watching him, but neither of them spoke again.

* * *

Maru and Moro were drawing Yuuko's long hair up into an elaborate up-style when Watanuki brought the traditional tray of drinks and snacks out to the garden, Maru armed with long ornamental hairpins that looked far too sharp to be going anywhere near the head, Moro with a decorative green butterfly she was fixing just above her mistress' right ear, to match the woman's kimono.

"Watanuki brought the snacks~!" The white Mokona trilled as soon as Watanuki came into view, bounding over happily to hop up onto the boy's shoulder and snuggle in a shameless attempt at begging for treats.

"At _last…" _the black Mokona brought a cup of sake to Yuuko as the witch couldn't currently move too far, trapped in place whilst her attendants worked on her. "I was _dying."_

"I left you snacks for whilst I was out," Watanuki defended, assuming his usual kneeling position at the low table in the garden as he poured out more sake for the babbling Mokona, "enough to last _normal _people a few _days!"_

"There wasn't _that _much…" The black Mokona pouted.

"There were _five bottles _of sake!And anotherfour in storage!!And all the fish I'd prepared for_ tomorrow!"_

"But Mokona was huuuungryyyyy."

The white Mokona joined in. "Watanuki is mean and wants Mokona to staaaaarve."

"Mean Watanuki!" Her partner echoed her, bouncing on Watanuki's left.

"Mean, mean, mean!" His partner in turn echoed him, bouncing on Watanuki's right.

Watanuki flailed and tried to leap for both of them, only managing to land on his face on the grass with both Mokona bouncing on his head and back. 

"Mean, mean, _meeeeaaaan~!!"_

_"I'm not mean!"_

Maru and Moro finally finished doing Yuuko's hair, settling down on either side of their mistress and giggling as they watched the Mokona torment Watanuki.

Yuuko downed her drink. "Watanuki, did you get what you set out to achieve this morning?"

"Yes," Watanuki shoved the Mokona off of him, shaking a fist at them when they only laughed, hopping over to the tray of snacks to help themselves, "I got a flower from a glade about an hour from here…it's the silver one in the vase in the kitchen."

Yuuko frowned at him slightly. "…Who told you about that glade?"

"Himawari-chan," Watanuki sighed, already dreaming of his darling's smiling face when he brought her the gift he'd fetched. She'd be so _delighted –_

"…Ah." There was a slight pause. "Did Doumeki-kun go with you?"

"He wouldn't leave me alone," Watanuki immediately complained, "the stupid jerk. _And_ he'll probably demand some impossible type of food for the privilege as well. See if I make it for him – the great Watanuki-sama has better things to do with his time than cater to the whims of a gluttonous _bird -" _Yuuko suddenly seized Watanuki's chin with one hand, holding his head in place as she searched his face. "…Yuuko-san?"

The woman released him again. "Watanuki-kun -"

"Yuuko-san?" The black-haired youth repeated.

"We need more snacks," the witch finished, watching her employee face-fault.

_"What?!" _Watanuki flailed and looked to the table, only to see the Mokona waving up at him and offering him their empty plates. "You greedy -"

"More snacks, Watanuki!" Maru cheered.

Moro chimed in "More snacks!"

"Mush, mush!" The Mokona added, each taking up a perch on one of Yuuko's shoulders as the witch shooed her apprentice away, back to the kitchen.

Their laughter followed Watanuki indoors.

* * *

Kurogane was so _honest _Fai found himself trusting the wolf, even though it was stupid to trust and even _stupider _to take some relief from that trust, his mind relaxing itself quite without his own consent, _trusting _Kurogane and his honest, honest, _honest _red eyes.

He hadn't wanted to come back to the house beside the waterfall, not at first. He hadn't wanted to stay with Chii or Ashura-ou either, his mind tumbling about trying to make sense of things, trying to mesh the information Ashura had given him with the conclusions he'd drawn himself already, unable somehow to think of Kurogane as some foul thing that he could really, truly _hate _because – because it was _Kurogane, _and as vexing as the wolf could be, he was too straightforward, too open, too…too _Kurogane _to ever match up to Fai's image of the bastard who had taken his brother. (Kurogane could, of course, also be a bastard (Fai was missing some of his hair still), but it was of an entirely different sort to the image of the dark kidnapper Fai had painted in his mind.) If Kurogane had taken Yuui – yes, _if – _then…Fai trusted - slowly, reluctantly, Fai trusted – that he hadn't taken Yuui to do anything untoward, with any bad intentions.

When those thoughts had become clear in his mind Fai had felt pressed to return to his home with the wolf – and the thought that yes, somehow, the house beside the waterfall had become 'home' was not as distressing as it could have been, warmed with memories of teasing the ever-grouchy Kuro-wanko, Syaoran's determination in his lessons, the summer breeze, the smell of cake baking as they ate together, telling stories, the waterfall's rumble beside them. That was home.

_This _was home, in the darkness of their room at night, with Kurogane tired out from his exercises and asleep, a comforting presence instead of an aggressive one. Fai lay on his side of the bed, still awake, still thinking, turning over old conversations with Kurogane in his head. Under his pillow was the candle Chii had given him, the girl's concerns at the back of his thoughts.

'Look at him,' she'd said, because he didn't know Kurogane and Kurogane knew a little more of him. 'Look at him' and know him, trust him that little bit more, satisfy the curiosity that had always pushed up within him, to find out what Kurogane hid in the darkness.

'Look at him' and Fai sought out the candle despite himself, drawing a swift, shining sigil in the black that light the wick, the flame golden and bright and casting a pool of light around the bed.

And then, for the first time, Fai properly looked at Kurogane.

_Kurogane_ was devastatingly handsome, along the traditional lines of tall, dark and undeniably sweet on the eyes. The face – strong, proud – matched the rumbling tones Fai had heard for the past six (it had to be six) months perfectly, the man broad of build and tall, taller than Fai, probably. He looked like the warrior Fai had always assumed him to be, someone suited to a sword in his hands, something to defend at his back.

His hair was black and spiky, the same shade as his fur had been when he'd been a wolf. A few strands flopped over his forehead almost endearingly, pointing to his nose, his firm mouth turned down in a slight frown, lips parted in sleep. Slumber softened the expression to something that was quite charming, Kurogane's brow relaxed, peaceful, the man undoubtedly on-guard even in his dreams.

Fai smiled, softly, more tenderly than he himself realised, liking the expression, liking the warm coil of genuine _affection _that curled through him contentedly, the more shadowy purr of attraction behind it, twining through his thoughts and arching up his throat, stretching to the end of his fingertips.

Kurogane was all hard edges cut by candlelight – shadowed, lit, dark, hot, the burning lick of melting wax sliding down Fai's hand, something golden-bright and intangible in the moment, the quiet, the still.

And then Kurogane woke up.

His eyes were red, blood-red, catching the flame's light and _glowing. _Fai almost dropped the candle he held in shock when his bedmate moved, a great cat trying to dive out of sight –

Blue magic bound him, familiar writing written into the air that clamped around Kurogane's limbs, locking the shinobi in place no matter how he kicked or struggled.

Kurogane looked furious. _"Mage-!" _the bonds tightened around him, digging into his skin, glowing brighter, brighter -

"I'm not doing it!" Fai protested, setting down the candle, his stomach churning because he _recognised _that magic, that aura, and stretched out a hand, weaving his own spell to counter that which was building in the air, even as he closed his eyes to the light that was _blinding_ –

Too late. The light vanished as if it had never been, and when Fai opened his eyes again, blinking away the blue spots that haunted his vision, he was quite, quite alone on the bed.

Kurogane had gone.

* * *

**A/N: **Urgh…for various reasons, writing this chapter killed me. So please to be putting those pitchforks down some of you have picked up. I can _see _youuuu. *flails*

Note to self: invest in yet another notebook so that you can write EA work in one, and other TRC stories in another. This way, you are less likely to be typing up scenes for the story only to realise, about three pages in, that you are referring to Fai as a 'she', and it's completely the wrong story. Whoops.

And now, if any of you need me, I'll be in my safety bunker.


	9. Lords and Ladies

**Shadow: **I have a love-hate thing going on with this chapter. Parts of it are too long, parts of it are too short, parts of it make me want to yank my hair out and cry over the OOC. Still, I think this is as happy as I'm ever going to be with it. Due to the length of the fairytale section, pieces in the 'present' got cut from this chapter – you'll see them turn up in the next one instead.

Warnings for…slightly disturbing relationships this time around, some (magical) violence, and a little bad language.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter IX: Lords and Ladies_**

_Once upon a time, a terribly long time ago, a perfect king rode a white horse through the Enchanted Forest, at the head of a hunting party. They were tracking a white doe, a pet of His Majesty, a creature hand-reared at Court for such games – the point of the exercise was to trap the deer without hurting her, the winner of the hunt the one who could first place their golden rope about the doe's fine neck._

_The part had separated somewhat, fanned out combing the trees for the doe. When the creature was spotted a call went up, the hunters diving for the spot. Foremost of all of these was the king, his horse the fleetest, the mount bursting through branches onto the river that flowed through the woods –_

_The doe watched him from the other bank, and the two children she stood protectively before warily peered around her side. When the doe saw it was the king, the one who had raised her, she nudged the children out from behind her, revealing two young human boys – twins - blond-haired, blue-eyed, with suspicion clearly painted across their faces._

_Magic, powerful and potent, rolled off both of them in waves._

_The king dismounted from his horse, throwing up a kekkai of sorts around the area with his magic to keep his fellow courtiers out, to stop them frightening both the children and the doe away. He heard their frustration from the other side of the barrier, their confusion at the interruption to the hunt, but he forced their complaints aside, concentrating solely on the twins._

_He held out his hand, ignoring the river between them. "How do you do?"_

_The twins remained silent, looking at him._

_The king didn't drop his hand. "How do you do?" He repeated again, voice casual, light._

_One of the boys finally spoke. "Please go away."_

"_And leave you so deep in this forest alone?" The king shook his head, black hair down to his shoulders shifting with the motion. "Strange things happen in this place to those who are not where they are supposed to be. Come, I would feel responsible if you were hurt here when I could have aided you both."_

_The exclamation came from the same child as before, his brother slinking against his side, taking the speaker's hand. "We do not _want _your aid!" The stomach of the twin who had not spoken rumbled audibly, and the boy blushed. His brother looked at him, vaguely exasperated._

"_Come," the king extended a hand once more, still gentle, "I can at least give you both something safe to eat. Some of the plants around here are poisonous."_

_They came, slowly and unsurely, nudged along by the doe at their backs. Hand-in-hand they wrote themselves a bridge across the river using their magic, walking over the flowing water with their new animal companion. Waiting for them with the lunch he'd withdrawn from his horse's pack the king smiled, coaxing them to sit down and join him in his meal, to offer up their names. It was courtesy to know the identities of the people one was dining with, after all._

"_Fai," offered the vocal child eventually, clearly just as hungry as his brother as he tore through some chicken he'd been given._

"_Yuui," his twin added, curiously biting into some silver fruit included in the generous meal._

"_And I am Ashura-ou," their host finished off the introductions, smiling when he saw their attention flicker from the food to him again, interested, "the Faerie King."_

_The revelation drew the twins out of their shells somewhat, both boys fascinated by meeting a faerie for the first time – and the _king, _too. The meal after the introductions was lighter in tone and feeling, Fai and Yuui eating as only the hungry could. They never mentioned how it was they had come to be wandering alone in the forest, and Ashura-ou didn't press them. _

_When the meal was done and the twins were helping their host clean up Ashura let his kekkai fall, his courtiers, kept waiting, immediately surging forwards to attend their sovereign, curious as to why His Majesty had left them for so long. They saw the human children at once, felt their magic, and _stared _as they saw the two boys reach out to instinctively clutch at Ashura-ou's robes, the white deer still unfettered behind._

"_Your Majesty," one of the faeries reined in his shying horse, calming the creature that was made nervous by the strange human magic coming off of the twins. "Your Majesty, you are quite alright?"_

"_Perfectly, Kamui." Ashura-ou laid a hand on each of the human's shoulders, both boys looking up at him as the Faerie King spoke to the courtiers that had assembled around them. "This is Yuui and Fai. They will both be accompanying me back to Court."_

_The courtiers jolted a little, eyeing their king warily, but a grey-eyed one stepped forward, smiling as he dismounted from his horse and reached a hand out to the closest child – Yuui. "Your Majesty, please allow me to assist you by riding with one of the boys, so as to not labour your mount too much."_

_Yuui looked at the hand warily, Fai looking at the new faerie's smile with distrust, and the faerie called Kamui interrupted, pushing past the unnamed one and shoving his hand down. "Ashura-ou, let my brother and I bear the children, one for each of us. It would not do for us to inconvenience Lord Seishirou in any way."_

'_Seishirou' seemed amused by his own request being overridden. "And yet you, Lord Kamui, would take that inconvenience upon yourself? Come, we all know you have little time for those outside of close family – Lord Subaru and I shall bear a child each, and then we shall match." _

_Kamui snarled at him. "Inconvenience or not, I would not leave a child near _you."

_Yuui quietly interrupted the debate, pulling at Ashura's robes and unwittingly drawing the attention of all. "May I please ride with him, Ashura-ou?" He pointed to a green-eyed faerie on the edge of the group, who had been watching Kamui and Seishirou argue. "He looks kind."_

_Fai ended the discussion, swiftly following up his brother's plea. "And I should like to go with Lord Kamui, Ashura-ou." He trusted his brother's judgement of character still. Ashura wavered, so he looked up and met the king's eyes, wide-eyed and pleading. "_Please."

_Ashura caved, and so it was Fai rode with Lord Kamui and Yuui with his brother and twin, the Lord Subaru, back to the Faerie Court. Young as the human children were they could not help to note the tension between the twin Lords and the Lord Seishirou, especially when Lord Kamui made a point of riding between his brother and the elder Lord, physically preventing Seishirou from being near Subaru. Seishirou talked over the angry Kamui's head but Subaru coloured and looked away, so Seishirou focused on Fai instead, the boy clutching at Kamui's back to keep his balance on the horse and trying to ignore the faerie with the strange, _intent _grey eyes._

_The hunting party entered the Faerie Court to the sound of trumpets, the captured doe led in and drawing courtiers around to admire her as they always did. Far _more _attention-worthy, however, were the two human children, all eyes looking at the pretty twins with such powerful, tangible magic._

_Kamui lifted Fai down from his horse when they finally drew to a halt, escorting the boy and Yuui to the king's chambers with Subaru. The faerie with the violet gaze was brusque but well-meaning, bowing to the king and pulling Subaru away, leaving the blond twins with Ashura._

_Somehow, it came to pass that Fai and Yuui became permanent fixtures of the Court, the human children that Ashura-ou doted on, a stand-in father to them. Often, the attention bestowed on them was to the neglect of his own biological child - but the king had his reasons for staying away, and made sure to keep Fai, Yuui and the child Ashura away from one another, the twins not even informed of the existence of the Faerie heir. _

_The twins lived a happy life, for the few months they remained at the Court. Whatever they asked for – and quite a few things that they didn't – were granted to them – clothes, toys, games, books. They were taught faerie lore and faerie magic, music, tricks and etiquette, sports and lessons to train their young minds - they excelled in most. It became quickly obvious Ashura-ou delighted in seeing them happy, having gifts brought for them from the land of Valeria, words in their original tongue, and they were guarded fiercely from the rogue fey outside the Court, the somewhat darker fey who flitted within. To the Court, Fai and Yuui were the king's darlings, faerie princes without faerie blood or crown. They held no official rank but were treated as if they did, and few were allowed to remain close to them, to keep care over them when His Majesty was detained elsewhere._

_Lord Subaru was one of the (un)lucky few, Yuui having taken a strong liking to him since that very first meeting, pleased with the noble's soft tone, his friendly smiles. Fai approved of him as well, and so it came to be, one day, that the twins and Subaru were in the boys' room, the faerie having plaited Yuui's hair – long, like his brother's, after failing to be cut for a while – and just started on Fai's._

"_Subaru-san," Yuui was going through a book as the faerie Lord was occupied with Fai, "why is it that most of the people in this Court are kept away from us?"_

"_Because you are precious to His Majesty," Subaru easily replied, "and he fears you might be taken advantage of should everyone be allowed near you."_

_Fai looked a little perplexed. "What about us would they take advantage of?"_

_Their carer hesitated a little. "…Your magic."_

"_What about it?" Both twins, in chorus, listening attentively to the Lord._

"…_It is because you're so magically strong," Subaru told them slowly, distracted, still braiding Fai's hair as he spoke. "It feels good to us, as we are a magical race – like food, in a way. _That _could be taken advantage of."_

_Yuui frowned slightly. "You would eat us?"_

_Subaru smiled back, and shook his head. "It would be too much like stealing, to feed on your magic. There are other sources – less strong, but other sources."_

"_What of the other faeries?" Fai questioned. "The ones that wouldn't mind a little theft?"_

"_The king's protection is upon you," Subaru assured him. "No sane faerie would _dare_ touch either of you, Ashura-ou would be beyond furious." _

_Another day, another time, and Fai was with the Lord Kamui, Yuui asleep in their chambers. Kamui was not kind in the way Subaru was. Kamui was blunt and often disinterested, and very cold quite a lot of the time to everyone they encountered. Fai had only seen Kamui smile when Subaru was with them, and the rest of the time his mind seemed somewhere else. Fai _liked_ Kamui – the faerie was straightforward and relatively to understand, and didn't twist his words like some of the other fey did. Although fey couldn't lie they could still interpret the truth in creatively misleading ways – Kamui didn't do that, and so Fai liked to walk with him, listening when the noble occasionally spoke._

_They walked in on Subaru and Seishirou, and Kamui instantly dove for the latter faerie's throat._

_Seishirou moved away before Kamui could swipe him, the grey-eyed faerie smiling out a genteel greeting that jarred horribly with the situation. Kamui hissed at him, the sound of an angry cat, but Subaru laid a hand on his brother's arm, drawing Kamui's attention._

_His twin looked incredulous. "You _want _this?" Subaru remained silent. "With _that _thing?" He pointed one hand at Seishirou accusingly, the taller creature brushing himself down with absolutely no regards to the other two faeries. "Subaru!"_

"_Come, Lord Kamui – don't be a hypocrite." Seishirou's smooth words only earned him a violet glare. "Your own dalliances with my little brother -"_

_Kamui all but stamped his foot, pulling at Subaru's hand to get his brother away. "There is _nothing _between Lord Fuuma and I, save that idiot's persistence! You and he are two sides of the same twisted coin – both of you are _poison."

"_You always did think so highly of us…" Seishirou only seemed amused at the insults, watching to the side as Kamui all but dragged his twin from the room. "But, Kamui…aren't you forgetting something?" Despite himself, Kamui stopped, turned, and was met with the sight of Seishirou laying a hand on the forgotten Fai's head, the human child very much confused by the situation he'd just witnessed. Seishirou crouched down so he was at the boy's eye-level, petting blond hair before glancing back to a fuming faerie. "Shouldn't you be watching your charge?"_

_Kamui froze, jarred by the reminder of the child he was supposed to be watching over, his duty. "…Ashura-ou will have your _head _if you harm that boy."_

"_Do I look as if I'm hurting him?" Kamui gritted his teeth, Seishirou turning his attentions back to a stricken Fai, raising one of the child's pale hands and kissing its back. "We should be friends, I think, little bocchan." He smiled, eyes closed, head tilted in a manner that on many would be considered charming. "Wouldn't that be nice?"_

"_I…" Fai tried to pull his hand back, but Seishirou's grip was too strong, still trapping his small palm in place with his fingers. "I already have friends."_

"_That's right…you're friends with Subaru-kun, aren't you? He's my friend too – that's why we're so very close." With his free hand, Seishirou tucked a loose strand of gold hair behind Fai's ear, expression pleasant as his human companion slowly grew more flustered, unsure of what exactly to do. "I'd like to be your friend, Fai-bocchan." There was more than a thread of magic in his words._

"_Seishirou -" Subaru called out uncertainly, not sure what the older faerie was trying to do._

_Fai faltered, feeling the magic first-hand, a slow, creeping in his senses that quietly began to hush his complaints, muffling his insecurities in a blue haze – his own magic, his own logic, slowly being twisted against him. "…Alright…"_

"_Good boy." The spell broke when Seishirou suddenly stood upright, ushering the slightly dazed Fai along and into Kamui's hold, leaning over to lay a quick kiss to a worried Subaru's temple before Kamui could shove him away again. Seishirou only smiled again – _always _smiling -, and breezed off back to where he'd come from. Still bewildered, unsure of just what he'd agreed to, Fai was quickly escorted back to the rooms he shared with Yuui._

_The twins went everywhere with Ashura-ou, when they could. The Faerie Court was a fascinating place, as was the spirit mountain the Court resided in. The air there was pure, so pure, the wind distracting both children from the memories of the past, Ashura encouraging them both to smile, to laugh and enjoy themselves. It usually worked, only some days, when Yuui felt a little ill, or coughed one time too many, did the smiles slip, Fai morose and repentant, Yuui trying to comfort him, and nothing Ashura-ou or anyone else tried to do could coax a smile from either boy. Those were the sad days, the weary days, Yuui tired and Fai miserable, hiding away from everyone, refusing to talk._

_The days where it was perfectly possible for Seishirou to come with his magic around him, and coax Fai – a human easily susceptible to the spells of the fey – into going with him to a place 'no-one would surely ever think to look'._

_The Faerie Court was a concentric construction of a place – although not a perfect circle it was undoubtedly built around an epicentre, a sheltered courtyard protected by high walls and a kekkai overhead. It had once been the original Throne Room, but a century or so back a human magician friendly with the king had worked his magic there, a large enchanted sakura tree taking root and growing up towards the sky. The tree bloomed all year round in all weather and, at night, under the glow of the moonlight, each delicate blossom was gilded with fine frost, the branches heavy – but never groaning – with icicles. The Throne Room had, since then, been relocated, and the courtyard had become a sacred place, protected, a place where few ever went – save for nightfall, when the frost came and left the tree magically undamaged._

_Seishirou took Fai to the courtyard and Fai willingly went, halfway enchanted and a little slow both in speed of body and mind, a blue haze fogging his thoughts again, twisted by Seishirou's smile. Ashura-ou was busy, Subaru and Kamui were elsewhere, and Yuui was ill and resting, worn-out from trying to cheer his brother up earlier._

_The sakura blossoms were in the air, a pale pink carpet over the grass around the enchanted tree, petals fluttering onto outstretched hands. It was the first time Fai had seen a tree like it, wonder creeping through the spell growing on him, his feet shifting a little faster so he could reach out to touch the ancient bark, small fingertips trailing twisting grooves in the old wood. A larger hand covered his and Fai glanced up, felt breath ruffle the wisp of his hair at his ear, warm and dark despite its lightness._

"_I like sakura blossoms too."_

_Fai consented to be ushered to a seat on a thick, upturned root, leaning back against the tree-trunk as Seishirou sat on the grass beside him just…_talking. _Telling stories, speaking of the older times for faeries, faraway human kingdoms made of sand and heat, the prophecy for which the sakura tree had been originally grown. His words were magic, enrapturing as stories alone but laced with deliberate enchantment, Fai lulled into perfect calm, mind loose and wandering below the falling petals, floating away to the distant times Seishirou spoke of._

_Fai dreamed whilst awake, the hazy blue of his magic rising to the surface of his skin, setting him strangely aglow. His half-closed eyes were bright – gem bright -, his skin snow-white, his hair thin threads of curling silver. His magic hung around him, an aura, a childish sweetness thickly edged with grief and guilt and sorrow. He was a twin, true, but his magic signature was truly unique, a tangible presence that was solely _Fai, _raw and bleeding into the air quite unconsciously._

_Seishirou watched the boy breathe, Fai's chest rising and falling, such a fragile thing that could be stopped easily when the human was in such a state. It wouldn't take magic – a hand over the child's mouth and nose would choke the boy, survival instincts dimmed and lost to dreams and stories. He reached out a hand to cup the abandoned prince's cheek, dragging a thumb across the boy's lips and feeling Fai's breath as they parted instinctively, slow, soft, so small and insignificant. The conundrum of a contradiction, such powerful magic locked inside a delicate, breakable frame. If allowed, this child would grow up to have fire in him, a furnace searing with cold._

_Seishirou kissed the boy whilst Fai was still bewitched, taking the child's face into his hands and stealing another shred of the boy's innocence without a qualm. Fai's magic was strong and sharp and bittersweet, stolen with lips and tongue as Seishirou almost _drowned _himself in the blue, heavy and heady, feeling his own magic spark and flare with the onslaught of sustenance._

"…FAI!"

_It was Yuui's voice that finally snapped Fai out of his mental wanderings, his brother's shriek slicing through layer upon layer of enchantment in one trembling heartbeat, echoing in the blossom-laced air across the courtyard, blue eyes wide and confused and upset at the door, held back by a shaking hand – Subaru, the Lord Yuui always went to. Subaru, who Yuui had pleaded with to help find his errant twin upon finding Fai still missing. Subaru, whose face was white, whiter than usual, splashed with betrayal and anger and –_

_Fai's temper, when he was in control of himself, was enough to blast Seishirou into one of the distant walls of the protected courtyard, _destroying _that section of the wall and breaking a few of the faerie's bones in the process. His right eye was ruined, the point that Fai had slammed his hand against when pushing Seishirou off of him, the boy's breathing ragged, harsh, as Yuui stumbled across the grass to his brother, holding him, too shocked by the display by actually _say _anything._

_Fai wouldn't – he didn't – only Yuui – _

_It wasn't _fair.

_The commotion drew the crowds, babbling, chattering, whispering, Kamui drawn from the unknowable distance to support his own shaking twin, protectively glaring down those gossiping and holding Subaru. When he spotted Seishirou, the cause of the mayhem, Subaru's current woe, he hissed, his nails extending into razor claws as he stalked away from his brother and towards the injured faerie. He'd slit the monster's throat before he could stand –_

"_Kamui~!" Something unpleasant ingrained itself between the incensed faerie and the fallen Seishirou, smiling brightly in the face of the former's wrath. "How wonderful to see you here."_

"_Get out of my way." Kamui glared _through _Fuuma, the bastard's brother, his temper only increasing when the idiot smiled wider in response to the command. "I'm going to _kill_ him this time, and nothing you do is going to stop me."_

"_Ah, but you see," Fuuma side-stepped when Kamui tried to go past him, effortlessly blocking the other's path, "my mother might just get a little upset if I let you slaughter my onii-san. She's dreadfully attached to her first baby, you know."_

"_Get out of my _way, _Fuuma!"_

_The taller faerie only sighed, pushing up the glasses on his nose as he looked down at the simmering creature before him. "Have I ever told you how _lovely _you look when you're angry?"_

"_Fuuma-!"_

"_That. Is. _Enough."

_Conversation stuttered and died, all eyes swivelling to the form of the Faerie King, Ashura-ou stalking imperiously into the courtyard, the temperature dropping significantly with each sharp staccato step. _

"_Your Majesty."_

"_Your Majesty."_

_Faeries bowed across the courtyard, Kamui losing his claws as he dipped his head, feeling the cold gold gaze rake his and Fuuma's forms disapprovingly, the fallen Seishirou, the damaged walls, the state of the adopted children by the sakura tree. Undoubtedly, the rumours had already reached him about what exactly had happened._

_Fuuma raised his head slightly. "Ashura-ou, please forgive my impertinence, but my onii-sama -" Seishirou would need medical attention._

_Kamui bit out at that, glaring at the other faerie. "Lord _Seishirou -"

"_Let him bleed there;" the king snapped, his courtiers rendered mute again in deference, something hissing and malicious taking the royal's guise for that moment, rearing under the lovely crown. "He is not my first priority."_

"_Majesty…" Kamui could only trail off a little helplessly as Ashura swept past them, heading for the tree and the two boys still crouched there._

_Fai shied away from Ashura, skittish, both he and his brother close to tears as the past plucked at them, mirror shards and shatterglass. "I didn't – I didn't mean -"_

_Yuui pulled at the faerie's arm, worried. "Please don't be mad." Both of them could've been half their age, softly pleading. "Please don't be mad." No more curses, no more anger, no more manipulation –_

"_Why ever," Ashura asked, brushing away the tears he could see budding in the youngest boy's eyes, smiling gently when Fai looked up as well, "would I be mad?" The children had done nothing wrong._

_Xing Huo had gotten mad. She'd gotten so horribly mad, and cursed them because they'd killed her. Fai could still remember the soft weight of her body, dark curls matted with blood._

_Fai wavered, disbelieving, distrustful – only Yuui had never lied to him, only Yuui had loved unconditionally, only Yuui had stayed. Only Yuui –_

_Ashura met his gaze simply, honestly, and his words carried the weight of his promise. "I'm not mad." Faeries couldn't lie. _

_Fai flung himself at the king, wrapping his arms tightly around the faerie's neck and clinging, letting Ashura hold him, stroke his hair. Yuui edged in on the other side, pressing close to his brother and receiving a soft kiss to his brow, wrapped in the king's hold like his twin._

"_My precious children…" the words escaped Ashura as a weary sigh, the faerie looking to Yuui after a few seconds. "Can you walk?" _

_Slowly, the boy nodded, understanding as their self-declared guardian picked up Fai and carried him – Fai was the one trembling the most, refusing to let go of his death-grip on the king. Yuui stuck close to Ashura as they left the courtyard, hanging back a few steps when His Majesty ordered everyone out of the enclosure save Fuuma and the still-injured Seishirou, ordering the former not to let the latter leave the courtyard before Ashura dealt with him, on pain of both their lives. _

_Ashura took them to their rooms, and gave Fai a draught of something to make him sleep. Yuui was offered it as well but refused, crawling onto his brother's bed when the king left the room and curling himself around his brother's sleeping form, petting golden hair that matched his own. A little comfort, but a comfort all the same._

_The next few days were a blur. Seishirou was punished – he wasn't killed, but even Lord Fuuma's smile faltered when he heard the toll for his sibling's actions, and Yuui and Fai were forbidden from hearing the details. Kamui and Subaru came to visit the children, crouching down and whispering goodbyes; they were leaving the Faerie Court – for good it seemed. _

_Ashura-ou granted the title of 'D' to Fai – the highest rank of mage for the fey. When some protested – and some _did _protest – their king only pointed out the still-healing Seishirou, a faerie many had been unable to defeat. Fai had overcome him in a single blast; Seishirou would never regain sight in his right eye._

_To both twins the king gave a new last name, a symbol of his guardianship over them, their final abandonment of their old lives. 'Fluorite', they were named, for the gems that adorned the Court and the person of the king, stones of protection and loyalty._

_Ashura-ou left his Court one night after making a secret deal with a Witch, and he took both Yuui and Fai with him. The children had only known the Court for a few months, but that had been more than enough. They were schooled; they knew the dangers of such a place well, and were perfectly content to abandon that life for a new home outside the spirit mountain, in the depths of the woods. They found a sort of happiness there together, a small family of three, and for eight years life was peace._

_And then the twins turned nineteen – one year off twenty, and their curse took lethal effect. _

_Yuui became terminally ill._

* * *

The rattle of beads gave the portal's existence away, a thousand delicate little clinks as the faerie on the other side shifted slightly, peering through the obscuring layers of opium smoke that cloaked the room, curling in patterns almost as fathomless as the smoker's mind.

"_Yuuko-san."_

The door to the room was fumbled open, Watanuki loudly elbowing his way in with his usual complaints (slightly quieter due to the late hour and his own weariness) and a tray in his hands, bringing in a gust of fresher air, stirring up the smoke haze to the point where the portal could be seen.

"_Agh!" _The youth yelped, tired and seeing a face looming in mid-air, his movements jolting the tray and sending some of his bowls up into the air. He leapt for them, managing somehow to not break anything, getting everything re-arranged neatly and presenting the whole lot to Yuuko, bright red, just as the witch put down her smoking pipe and burst into rapturous applause for the acrobatic display. (It was a wonder she didn't wake up the black Mokona, dozing on the seat beside her and burbling something about sake and cake.)

"_Yuuko-san." _The faerie – and floating face - who had summoned up the portal sounded just a shade more impatient than before, clipped words sounding over the clapping.

"Ashura," Yuuko eyed the Faerie Regent from her couch, pouring herself something to drink from the selection Watanuki had brought her. "Don't you owe me some wine?"

"_I came to offer my apologies." _The child of Ashura-ou was a beautiful creature – one who would look all the lovelier if they ever _smiled_. It was such a pity then, that time and events rarely seemed to lend Ashura any good occasion to do so. _"It appears I shall have to delay the delivery until tomorrow – I have a problem with my messenger."_

"Doumeki-kun?" Yuuko paused, and glanced up.

Watanuki muttered something under his breath – apparently the boy was placing bets that 'that stupid bird will have knocked himself out by flying into a wall'.

Ashura raised a hand on the other side of the portal, gesturing to something to his right, and the image shifted, revealing a familiar golden eagle upon his perch, worrying at his own feathers with his beak. That would've been fine; that would've been normal, if only, when Doumeki turned his head towards those watching, his right eye hadn't apparently been sealed shut by a spider-web, sticky strands embedded deep under golden feathers and skin, rendering the eye useless.

"What…" Watanuki faltered, rubbed his own eyes as if to clear any drowsiness he had from them, thinking he'd somehow fallen asleep standing up and was dreaming. Nothing changed, so he looked rather helplessly to Yuuko. "What is that?"

The woman was thin-lipped, serious. It was never a good thing when Yuuko was serious. "A grudge." That _blinded _people? "You took something from the spiders today, and they've taken something back."

"…It was a _flower!" _That had belonged to spiders, apparently. So those sticky ropes had been… Watanuki slipped down on the seat beside Yuuko, his knees suspiciously wobbly all of a sudden. "How can they exchange a flower for an _eye?"_

"It's a grudge, Watanuki-kun, not equal exchange." Yuuko picked up her pipe again, drawing in some of her smoke before releasing it in a long breath, wisps framing her face, the scarlet of her eyes. "Grudges are irrational things."

"But…" Watanuki searched for an answer, "grudges fade, don't they? In time?"

"Eventually." More smoke, and Watanuki coughed, feeling it catch in the back of his throat. "When the memory of the injustice done fades. Spiders, however, have long memories."

"_And so my messenger is rendered useless," _Ashura seemed angry – and probably rightfully so -, something feral sneaking out from under the fine clothes and manners, "_and the trade we agreed upon is void."_

Yuuko studied the faerie. "Doumeki-kun is quite incapable of his duties?"

"_His depth-perception is gone, and he has injured himself twice in this past hour alone by flying into objects." _Each observation was another strike to Watanuki, the youth _trying _to tell himself that it didn't matter, that it was only _Doumeki, _but the guilt gnawed at him the same. _"He misses things thrown at him from his right side, and is unfit to traverse the dangers of either the mortal forest or the spirit mountain. Useless to us, at least half the Court has demanded he be eaten, and Yuuko-san, I cannot have a revolt upon my hands. Not now."_

Watanuki jolted up at the comments, wide-eyed and aghast. "You can't kill him for that!" Simply because – it was only an _eye _and –

Ashura glared at him for his outburst, and, for an instant, there was barely any sentience in the faerie's gold eyes. That had looked like - _"What use is a messenger bird that cannot fly?"_ The Faerie Regent's gaze burned a slitted, angry gold, a flash of potent danger that had Yuuko lay a hand upon Watanuki's shoulder, silencing the youth before he could cry out again. Some things – _terrible _things – were hereditary, and Watanuki had a life that was complicated enough without calling down _more _supernatural wrath upon his head.

The witch spoke instead, her voice quiet. "Everything has its use in this world, Ashura. Everything and everyone."

Some of the faerie's fierce glow faded, rage dying down to be replaced with a weary sadness. _"Even if it is to only cause heartbreak?"_

Yuuko dropped her hand. "Fate is kind to few." Mokona mumbled sleepily beside her and the witch put down her pipe, petting the little creature until he went back to his happily oblivious snoozing.

Ashura looked pensive. _"…I'll wait three days, Yuuko-san." _One hand pushed back some of the faerie's dark hair, brushing it away from the aquiline face. _"To see if the grudge will fade. I can't promise anything after that."_

"I never asked you to," Yuuko murmured.

"_Of course not." _Ashura's laughter was a sharp bark, tinged with bitterness. _"That would count as a wish, wouldn't it? And then you'd owe _me _something." _The faerie shook their head, as if amused by the thought. _"I'll see to it that you get your wine tomorrow."_

"My thanks," Yuuko nodded, and Ashura cut the connection between them, the portal crumbling and vanishing into nothing like a bad dream.

Watanuki looked immediately to the woman beside him, the witch already reaching for her waylaid drink. "Yuuko-san," she didn't look at him, but the slight tilt of her head let Watanuki knew he had Yuuko's attention. (He'd never really lost it – she already knew what he was going to say.) "Yuuko-san, I have a wish."

* * *

The house was dark and cold, empty as the house Fai had left behind him in such haste, yanking on clothes and grabbing Souhi before heading immediately out of the door into the garden beside the waterfall, hurrying into the forest at night-time to get to the one whose magic had sent Kurogane away. Souhi whacked into his hip as he ran – he'd never been terribly fond of swords -, his cloak streaking behind him, a whirl of cloth almost as chaotic as his guilty mind. Kurogane had _warned _him-!

"_Faiii…" _Chii sounded piteous when the blond slammed open the front door to the home she shared with Ashura-ou, springing from the chair she'd been shivering in and running to Fai, clinging to him.

"Chii," Fai hugged the girl, letting some of his warmth bleed into her – she was _freezing. _"Chii, where is Ashura-ou?" It had been Ashura's magic around Kurogane; Ashura, therefore, who would know where Kurogane was –

"Ashura-ou is gone." Chii looked miserable, her brown eyes far too bright, brimming with tears. She probably felt he'd left because of her, or something –

"_Where?"_

"Chii doesn't know." The girl buried her face in Fai's chest, and the mage felt wetness touch his shirt. "Chii was making Ashura-ou some tea in the kitchen and when Chii came back to the library where Ashura-ou had been all the lights were off and Ashura-ou wasn't _there._ Chii doesn't understand – did Chii do something wrong to make Ashura-ou go away?"

"No," Fai assured her gently, hugging her a little more tightly, smiling when he heard the girl let out her quiet trademark '_chi'_. "You haven't done anything wrong, Chii – this isn't your fault." His pet snuggled into him a little more. "Chii, how long ago did Ashura-ou leave?"

"_Hours," _she replied – long before Kurogane had vanished. Had…Ashura _known…?_

Impossible.

Fai was still for a little while, resting his chin on Chii's head as he thought. Ashura had gone; Kurogane had gone, but it had been Ashura's magic that had removed him. Fai knew where _neither _of the two were, and could only feel a lingering trace in the forest of the spell that had been worked near the waterfall, a dying scent that was quickly being overrun by his own magical workings on or near those grounds. He tried stretching out with his mind to follow the trail, and drew to a blank. His own presence, his own magical strength, eroded the path even as he tried to go along it. Only a simpler creature might -

"Chii…" Fai's whisper broke through the quiet, his pet raising her head at his low call. "Chii, would you do a favour for me?" The girl only blinked, gaze liquid as she slowly took in what her Fai was asking of her. "Would you go after Kuro-sama for me, wait with him and keep him company until I can reach you both?"

The child smiled, brilliant. "Chii will do anything for Fai."

"I'll give you wings," her creator spoke, already drawing the symbols into the air, a circle of glowing blue and write, "so that you can fly to him. You'll change back into your original form when you meet him, so that you know you'll have definitely found the right man."

"Chii will be a bird?" Chii seemed delighted by the news, still smiling as Fai's magic wrapped around her, enveloping her form.

She shrank to the floor until she was about the same size as a starling, her features blurring in a glow as she grew a beak, wings and claws. Her feathers were white, the colour of her clothes that night, flecked with the gold of her hair. Her eyes were still the same honey-brown, sentient as she gave a quick flap to reach Fai's outstretched hand, landing on the mage's clothed wrist and chirping up at him.

Fai smiled at her, summoning up the dregs of his warmth to assure Chii that everything was alright, brushing one finger down his pet's back in a gentle stroke. "You make a beautiful bird, Chii."

Chii only chirped again, pleased at the attention. She could understand him perfectly, he could tell that by the cock of her head, but her vocal cords weren't suited for speech.

"Can you feel the magic out by the waterfall?" Fai asked her. "It feels like Ashura-ou." There was a pause, Chii still as Fai carried her to the nearest window, pushing open the glass so that he night breeze blew in over them both.

Chii chirped again – yes, she could sense the magic.

"Kuro-sama will be at the end of the trail," wherever _that_ was. "Go to him;" Fai raised Chii closer to his face, and kissed the top of the little bird's head. "Tell him I said sorry."

Chii took off from her perch then, diving out of the open window and into the night. The moon caught her wings and made her glow, and then she swept into the shadow of the trees, into the darkness, and was lost from sight. The forest and house were quiet again without her, empty and bereft of any reason to stay.

Fai left the house, and headed for Yuuko's.


	10. Princes Charming

**Shadow: **I have a great lot of nothing to say this chapter.

Edit: Apparently I do. F. f. net - _stop screwing with my formatting._

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter X: Princes Charming_**

_Once upon a time, back before most stories began, there was a little dark-haired boy – a prince – who woke one day in his bed knowing he'd had a terrible dream. It lingered bitterly in his mind, a vision of the future, and was to plague his sleep for years to come. Distraught, he flung himself into study, researching the arcane to try and prevent what he had dreamed coming to pass, and at length he became a great magician, renowned throughout all the lands._

_Once upon a time, a stupidly, ridiculously long, _long _time ago, there was a girl. She had no real name and no-one quite knew where she had come from – some say she had walked straight out of a dream. The prince-magician certainly thought so, then a grown man, hearing of a beautiful young lady on the edge of his parents' kingdom, someone who could see the future when she stretched out her hand, read fates by the tilt of a head or the wish of a heart. He went to her and watched her tend her garden of butterflies before making himself known; omitting his royal title he took her hand and kissed it, greeting her like an old, dear friend._

"_I don't know you." She seemed mildly perplexed by his behaviour, letting the handsome stranger have her hand for the moment as she studied him, peeling apart the threads of destiny around him._

"_But I've known you," he told her in reply with a smile, "for such a terribly long time."_

"_Then you can wait a little longer for a friendly reunion," she retorted with a dryness he'd fallen for years before he'd known her, "as right now I've other idiots to attend." And she flung him out of her house._

_With his parents' permission, the magician went away for a very long time, leaving the kingdom, going to explore distant lands. He learned even more while he was out there, but still he could not find the answer to the dream that had plagued him since his youth. Eventually, he concluded, the world he lived in simply did not have the solution in it yet._

_The prince returned to his kingdom a long time later in secrecy, his head full of strange thoughts and knowledge, something changed about his eyes. The girl – now a woman, still beautiful, even wiser than she had been when he'd left – saw it immediately when he entered her house, taking his face in her hands and frowning at him._

"_What…have you done?" _

_He wouldn't tell her, but the whole kingdom was gossiping about the new man who had appeared at the palace with royal blood, a prince, according to the rumours, who had been hidden away from the public eye – some mistress' child? The royal family had acknowledged him, legitimised him, the magician-prince's new younger brother._

"_I'm still looking," he explained to her eventually, nonsensically, refusing any and all details to her immediate frustration. "I promise."_

"_Magicians," she fumed, taking the bottle of sake he'd offered her as a gift and pouring some out into two cups, "should not make promises lightly."_

_Once upon a time, a good few years after tears and loss and heartbreak, the magician found an answer, an arrowing pain that went on unceasingly for all of them, a long, weary, winding road of suffering to disaster. He was King of what had once been his parents' country, the crown a bitter, lonely thing. He had no heir of his own – the throne would pass to his cousins upon his death, his father's relations._

_He dreamed more than ever, fast asleep whilst wide awake, drawing solace from the celestial guardians he'd made with his magic, stirred into livelihood with the sun, resting in the moon's cool arms. Prophecies, visions…he took what they showed him as his punishment, just desserts for his actions, and quietly he planned, searching for the strongest path in the future, the brightest, some way to undo the transgressions that had been done._

_He grew older, wearier, even though his magic left him looking forever young. Eventually, a path became clear to him, and as he felt himself dying he dismissed his guardians despite their distress, sending them to the royal family with their orders, and split his soul in two, sending the first out as a light, a child that was to born in the future, a boy, Fujitaka. He would have no memories, no magic of the life before, blameless, pure. _

_The other half…the other half was born too, half-grown, stepping from the split as a young boy, the child who had first dreamed the terrifying dream aeons ago. His smile was ageless and sad, half-forgotten memories lingering in his mind, his incarnation's magic hanging around his shoulders. He was called Eriol, and he went away from the kingdom, taking his misfortunate magic with him, and made himself two new guardians, too heartsick to be totally alone._

_He came back, after a long while had passed, for a visit of sorts. He left his guardians behind him and found his way to a very special shop in the middle of a sacred lake in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, and he met a woman there. A very beautiful woman with no real name and a broken heart, and the boy understood why it was he had instinctively created his guardians in the image of butterflies._

_She froze when she saw him, and then he saw the flare of anger in her eyes. "Get out."_

"_This shop can only be found by those who have need of it," he told her calmly. "I have a wish."_

"_I cannot grant it," she snapped. "Now get out."_

"_Yuuko -" She turned her back on him, and the children she had made watched him stonily, flanking her either side. "I am not him. I have his magic; I have his memory, aged as it is, but I am not him. Why do you think I could see past your barrier, enter this shop? Your wish does not extend to me." Eriol paused, seeing the other remained unmoving. "_Please_, Ichihara-san, you know even better than I what exactly has been done. My previous incarnation saw a way to undo it – to end the dream at last."_

_Yuuko turned, slowly, reluctantly, and he saw her eyes were hazy with the threads of the future, _hitsuzen. _"…They're crying," she said eventually, softly. "All the children are crying."_

_Eriol's smile faded completely, his face solemn. "I'm sorry."_

_Yuuko eyed him contemplatively, and then waved a hand. "…You're not him." She turned, and headed for the kitchen in her home, motioning for Eriol to take a seat. "I'll be back soon – I have the feeling this conversation is going to require a strong drink."_

_Once upon a time, so many, many years later, there was a dark-haired boy who was really coming to a sort of home when he entered Yuuko's shop but didn't know it, who woke on his futon one day knowing he'd had a peculiar dream. He'd dreamt of a girl, green-eyed and lonely, sitting in a great tree surrounded by sakura blossoms. She was sad but she had smiled for him, comforting him when she realised he was lost._

_The boy found a feather in the garden that day when he was tending the plants there, something warm and soft that glowed with power, and took it to Yuuko. The woman declared it was his, and asked him what he would do with it, and so Watanuki asked Yuuko how he could give gifts to people in dreams. She told him, for the price of him fetching the highest-growing apple on the tallest tree in the entire forest, and that night, Watanuki gave the feather to the girl in his dreams. He knew it was hers, somehow, by the warmth the feather had emitted, and he smiled when she smiled, taking his hands and thanking him, giving him her name – 'Sakura'._

_The following day, Watanuki asked Yuuko how he could help Sakura. She told him how and he made a wish, giving away most of his memories of his life in Nihon, of Sakura herself, a future price. _

_Yuuko walked in Sakura's dreams that night, and gently explained why it was that she wouldn't see Watanuki again for a very long while. The princess had looked shaken, guilt-stricken that someone could give away so much for her, but looked up bravely when Yuuko laid a hand on one shoulder._

"_Everything will be alright," she said firmly, as if speaking the words would make things so._

"_Everything will be alright," Yuuko agreed, and left the princess to her dreams. _

* * *

"Yuuko-san," Watanuki could have such a terribly grim face when he was serious, dream-lost eyes sharpened, focused in a way they weren't ordinarily. It was such a pity it took just as grim events for that side of the child to show – purpose could be found elsewhere, in situations that didn't carry such heavy costs. "Yuuko-san, I have a wish."

Yuuko picked up the untouched drink she'd poured herself a little earlier – red, red wine. She wasn't much of a wine drinker, getting through more traditional sake, occasional some stronger whisky for the burn, but…oh, anything would do right now. Yuuko looked down at her glass, seeing her own pale face reflected back up at her from scarlet depths. "You can't afford it."

Watanuki, naturally, like many others before him, couldn't accept that. "Yuuko-san -"

"You can't afford it," Yuuko repeated, flicking one finger against her flute of wine, the glass ringing out once with a high, lonely note. The black Mokona, still sleeping beside on the couch, gave a sleepy murmur, low discontent, and then rolled over and fell back into the depths of slumber. "With the knowledge you possess you would trade me not for an eye but for a _life – _you can't afford it."

"Yuuko-san…" Watanuki was aghast, glad he was sitting down already, the world tilting alarmingly as his thoughts raced. "Yuuko-san, _please. _Isn't there _something _I can do?" This was his fault; he had to fix things somehow.

Yuuko's eyes softened slightly as she looked at her employee, at Watanuki, and once more put down her drink. There would be a time for alcohol later –

Later, only a little later, Yuuko stood on the edge of her island and watched Watanuki disembark from the boat he'd rowed over the lake to the other side, a pale figure in the night. He was running practically as soon as his feet touched dry land, speeding off into the dangerous forest to _certain _peril because…because he was _Watanuki, _and he was a martyr and he had such a terribly, terribly pure heart.

It was a wonder he hadn't managed to kill himself yet.

Mokona, woken from his nap when Yuuko had told Watanuki what it was he had to do, sat on the witch's shoulder and watched Watanuki go, his long ears drooping around his round body, soft and sad. "Watanuki really doesn't remember, does he?"

Yuuko reached up to touch the little creature's blue earring with a sigh, stroking a long fingertip down one black ear to offer what little comfort she could. "No," she felt old. Old and weary, and her heart was tired. "No, he doesn't."

Mokona's voice was small, snuggling into Yuuko's petting, seeing his friend disappear beneath the forest trees. "Will Watanuki be alright?"

For a few moments, Yuuko didn't answer. When she finally did, she was turning back to her house, Mokona a warm presence pressed against her neck. "Come, Mokona…I think it's time to wake up Syaoran-kun, don't you?"

* * *

His head _ached, _a steady throbbing behind his eyes, banging him into rude consciousness against his will. As his eyes slowly opened all his other aches and pains decided to make themselves known, as well as the freezing cold hardness of whatever it was he was lying on.

"It is generally," spoke a voice, cool and clipped and vaguely sardonic, "considered bad manners to drop into a dinner uninvited."

Kurogane made a low grumbling noise that could've been either agreement or a curse, pushing himself up onto one elbow and automatically _glowering _in the direction the voice had come, not even bothering to focus before letting his displeasure be known.

A violet gaze – slitted and cat-like and painfully _not human – _looked back at him disdainfully, letting Kurogane slowly regain his focus on the abnormal whiteness of the stranger's face, the long silver braid of the stranger's hair, the huge, white, feathery _wings _folded behind the stranger's back, impressive even whilst not spread out to their full length.

This guy was an –

"You're also late," rumbled another voice behind the winged guy (quite a way behind too, by the sounds of it – the room had good acoustics, then), but Kurogane was still trying to get his head round the fact he was busy glaring down an _angel _to look for the source right then. "Sakura saw your arrival a good few weeks back." There was a vague squeak – _another _voice, clearly Not Expecting To Be Brought So Suddenly Into The Conversation -, and something that sounded like someone attempting to vanish into their seat – the rub of the fabric was quite distinctive. "Well," said the rumbling voice a little more quietly, clearly speaking to the squeaking one, "you _did._ You made me save him some of the takoyaki," here the speaker turned vaguely accusing, tones of mourning being adopted, "and he didn't turn up to _eat _it. _Takoyaki._" Clearly, Kurogane had performed some cardinal sin by missing the takoyaki-deadline.

"I can't say I knew I was expected." Kurogane finally looked past the stony-eyed angel, his focus regained but his head still throbbing, taking in the long expanse of a tremendous wooden dining table, a teenage girl with auburn-brown hair sitting perched in a large chair at the head, a golden – _winged – _lion sitting on the floor at her side.

…His life just kept getting weirder by the second, didn't it.

The lion turned to the girl, perfectly conversational. "Can I eat him?"

The girl sounded scandalised, and smacked the lion on the nose. "Kero-chan!"

The angel stood from where he'd been crouching over Kurogane, opening out his wings – that _was _an awe-worthy wingspan – and flying the length of the hall they appeared to be in to reach the lion – 'Kero' - and girl, standing on the opposite side of the child's chair to the great cat.

The girl – 'Sakura', if the lion's earlier comment and the squeak had been anything to go by – looked up at the angel. "Is he alright, Yue-san?"

'Yue' folded his wings closed once more and assumed an air of utter disinterest, perfectly reflected in the dryness of his tone. "He'll live."

Kurogane, from his position on the floor of the other end of the floor, growled at the comment and pushed himself up to his feet, reaching a little unsteadily for Souhi on his belt – _damn _the magic, the idiot mage's or otherwise, for affecting him so! -, only to discover his sword wasn't there. (Somehow, somewhere, the deities were laughing at him. Or maybe just Yuuko, the bitch.)

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Sakura seemed to have paid absolutely no attention to Kurogane's ill-temper, pushing back her seat with a horrible _screech, _ignoring her guardians' winces and dashing down the hall towards the shinobi before Yue could reach out and grab hold of the back of her voluminous dress.

"Mistress!"

"Sakura!"

Both lion and angel swept their wings wide, taking to the air after Sakura, but Kurogane had been taking even steps towards the oncoming girl and the youth herself was quite quick considering the weight of all those frills she was wearing.

Sakura reached Kurogane before Yue and Kero reached Sakura, bowing down rather energetically before the shinobi – to the sound of Yue's rather outraged cry of '_Mistress!' _- and smiling up at him.

"My name is Sakura – it's so wonderful to finally meet you!!"

"Sakura-_hime," _Yue corrected stiffly, alighting at the girl's side and shooting a rather poisonous look at Kurogane. (So much for indifference.) "Mistress, your supper will be getting cold."

Kurogane ignored the angel, looking down at the girl – the _princess. _She had to be around Tomoyo's age, but they looked nothing alike. "…You know of me?"

"I…saw you," Sakura explained a little hesitantly, absently twisting one of the frills on her dress with one hand, "in a dream. That's how we knew you were going to be coming."

So it had been less that the girl had saw and more that she had _seen – _the princess was a seer. (Brilliant. Another one.)

"…Kurogane," Kurogane finally replied in a mutter, seeing the likelihood of Yuuko being the one behind his current misfortune trebling in an instant.

"I beg your pardon?" Sakura looked politely confused, green eyes hitting the lights in a manner many would probably dub 'sweet' and reminded Kurogane far too much of Tomoyo. Although the Tsukoyomi and Sakura were so physically different this…this _girl _before him couldn't help but strike a pang of homesickness in Kurogane, a brief longing for the home he hadn't seen for half a year.

"My name," the shinobi reiterated, a little more clearly the second time around, "is Kurogane."

"_Oh," _Sakura blushed a little, sensing that that answer should've been obvious, but covered her actions up again with another quick bow (Yue hissed again). "Then welcome to castle Leval, Kurogane-san!" Her smile was pleasant, open and warm. "Would you like some supper?"

* * *

The fog around Watanuki shifted rather ominously, strange chittering echoing around shadowy trunks; flickers of movement lost to the night and blurred landscape. This end of the forest was even _worse _after the sun went down, colder and danker, Watanuki shivering as he put one step in front of the other, the hairs of the nape of his neck rising with the knowledge that he was being watched by an endless number of unseen, angry eyes. Nothing came close to him though, warded away by the silver flower pinned to his shift-front that he'd plucked from the area earlier in the day, the cause of this mess. The miasma around this area made him feel sick.

'_This way is fey territory,' _stupid Doumeki – couldn't he have been more specific? Everyone in the world didn't communicate through monotone; stupid idiots should _volunteer _information before it became necessary, so that people were warned ahead of time. _'Some fey are worse than others.' _

Stupid Doumeki. Idiot _bird._

"My, my, _my," _the airy voice curled through the fog, low and amused and sending another round of shivers down Watanuki's spine, the youth ducking under one of the off-white ropes that dangled from the trees around him, heavy, sticky loops and strands. He – they reminded him of something, but he just couldn't – not quite – "have you brought my flower home, little thief?" The voice was louder, closer, and Watanuki looked up.

A young woman sat on a loop of the rope that bedecked the forest around them some way above Watanuki's head, tumbling gold curls around her pale face framing her black eyes, thick and dark and coldly unforgiving. She smiled when she saw she had Watanuki's attention, leaning forward a little in her seat and smiling with red, _red_ lips thoughtfully pursed.

"Well, aren't _you_ cute?"

Watanuki frowned up at her, his stomach lurching uncomfortably. "Who are you?"

"It's _rude _to call upon a lady without first finding out her name." The woman chided him, wagging one long finger as a rebuke. "It is ruder _still, _however, to take what doesn't belong to you. Really, child, didn't your mother teach you any manners?" She smiled again, the expression failing to reach her eyes, seeing Watanuki's flinch. "Don't you already know who I am? I would wager some part of you has already guessed…" The woman stood on her loop, perfectly balanced, mild currents of air blowing the wispy black dress she wore around her stocking-clad legs. One gloved hand reached out to loosely grasp the rope holding her aloft, its owner's expression imperious as she looked down from above. "The humans call me Jorougumo, boy, the Spider Queen. The flower you wear upon your breast belonged to my underlings and kin - adorning it like you have was a good way to call our attention; my brethren take a certain pleasure in taking their revenge on those who flaunt their offences against us."

Watanuki looked at her. "It's just a flower -"

"To _you _perhaps," the Jorougumo interrupted, "but then the perpetrator of a crime rarely feels the same way as the victim. Those flowers are precious to us - we grow them from our webs to use and trade throughout the forest."

"You took Doumeki's eyesight."

"The eagle?" Watanuki nodded. "I heard he was a messenger of Ashura-ou's Court – what was he doing with such a strange human child as yourself?"

Watanuki looked at the Jorougumo steadily, though his insides were whirling unpleasantly – he felt like he was going to retch, just wanting to sink onto his knees. "Please give his eye back."

The woman shook her head. "He took my flower."

Watanuki could feel his desperation rising. "That was _me!"_

"Then he is guilty by association." The Spider Queen smiled, something sweet that was totally at odds with the situation. "You're such a kind boy. Did you come all this way to help your friend?"

"Please," Watanuki repeated, "give his eye back." The Jorougumo turned away. "If you must, take mine instead!! Just…please give the eye back."

The woman before him paused, turning back to the human and leaning forwards, curious. "Is that bird so very important to you?"

"He…" Watanuki sagged slightly. "It's my fault his eye is gone."

Ropes of white flew in from nowhere, lashing themselves around Watanuki's waist and arms and sharply yanking the youth up into the air, Watanuki struggling until he was raised to the height of the Jorougumo, the woman placing a long, pointed fingernail in the soft skin below his right eye. This close her presence was overwhelming, the miasma in the area bringing Watanuki to the verge of passing out. "You're offering your eye to me in trade, as simply as that?"

"I -" Watanuki swallowed when she pressed a little harder with her nail, feeling his Adam's apple bump against the chain of the pendant he wore about his throat. The web binding him stung and burned, searing where it touched his skin. "I am."

The Jorougumo leaned closer, hair falling around her face, raising her palm and covering the boy's right eye, dropping his glasses to the floor. Her skin was cold. "It won't ever come back."

"I'll make the trade."

The Jorougumo pressed harder against his eye, Watanuki crying out as _pain _suddenly burned in his socket, white ripping through his skull. When he came back to himself it was to blurry vision, divided in two. On his right side he saw himself, blinking and bleary, on his left the Jorougumo, cradling a small smoky-blue sphere in her hands. That…was his eye? As he watched her (and watched himself through the eye she held) she raised the sphere to her red lips, parting them and swallowing the ball, his right eye descending through dark and then –

_Nothing,_ his connection to the eye disappeared completely, the sphere dissolving inside the smiling creature before him.

"I hate this." Watanuki looked at her, alarmed, the Jorougumo shaking her head. "I will return your friend's eye; you have paid for it – but what is to stop me from taking more from you? You wandered so naively into my lair - why should I _not_ take more? You clearly give no value to your own person – I would be doing you a favour, to remove the responsibility of yourself from your hands."

Watanuki's mouth dried up. "I -"

"Does no-one love you, boy," the Jorougumo asked him coolly, "or do you just not care? You make a mockery of any affection bestowed on you by treating your own existence like trash to be thrown away."

"That's not true." Watanuki clenched his fists, trying to focus, trying to stay awake.

"Oh, but it is." The Spider Queen cradled his face with her hands, black eyes foreign and cold. "Your eye was so very delicious. Since nobody loves you, should I take your left one as well?"

"_Let him go."_

Watanuki recognised that voice, glancing down to see a familiar head of brown hair, Syaoran glaring up at the Jorougumo, his sword held out before him. Watanuki had no idea what he was doing there. "Syaoran-kun…"

The Jorougumo looked up from Watanuki, glancing down to the forest floor. She smiled. "So many cute boys are coming to visit me today. I should be quite flattered."

"Let him go," Syaoran repeated, tightening his grip on his weapon.

"Or else?" The woman sweetly enquired, laughing when the youth shifted into a more aggressive stance. "_This_ is what I like." She flicked her hand and more thick strands of her web shot down at Syaoran, aiming to capture the brunet the same way they'd done Watanuki.

Syaoran evaded them, leaping from rope to rope and using them as platforms as he went up, vaulting into the air and slicing at the sticky strands that held Watanuki in place. Freed, Watanuki dropped, flailing and clutching onto part of the web nearest to him and digging his fingers in to stop his fall, hissing as the substance it was made of burned his skin, weakening his grip. His vision was already hazy, the miasma choking, and unconsciousness only an eyeblink away –

Watanuki was out cold when the pain and pressure around him finally got the better of him, his grip slackening as he let go, still quite a way above the forest floor, and plummeted towards the ground.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky when Yuuko entered the room where her patient was laid, Syaoran solemn-eyed as he knelt at Watanuki's bedside, deep in thought. Yuuko didn't speak to him as she went to place Watanuki's repaired glasses beside the sleeping youth's pillow, within easy reaching distance for when Watanuki awoke. Her long dress rustled slightly as she knelt on the opposite side of her customer, the only sound in the room.

"She…" It was Syaoran who broke the silence, eventually, not looking at anything in particular, his voice quiet. "The Jorougumo…she didn't fight, after I caught Watanuki-kun."

Yuuko folded her hands in her lap, her long hair loose and trailing about her knees. "Perhaps her point had already been made." Syaoran looked confused. "No creature," Yuuko elaborated slowly, "is disconnected from everything in the world in which they live – none. Every occurrence is an event divided into two, action and reaction, a process of give and take. Simply by existing you force others to acknowledge your existence, and bonds that are made – however briefly – do not easily break. All is half and half with responsibility borne for both sides. Watanuki-kun…" Yuuko paused for a few seconds, taking in the slumbering visage of the bandaged youth, the eye-patch covering Watanuki's right eye. "Watanuki-kun still needs to learn this."

Syaoran nodded slightly – assent. "What is the price for his treatment?"

"It's already covered." Yuuko uncurled one of her hands, and something white and blue and _glowing _rested there, drawn from the air itself, apparently, by the witch. It was the Zashiki-warashi's pendant, her gift to Watanuki. "This was not the use that that girl intended the necklace for, but I think she will be glad that it is aiding Watanuki-kun all the same."

Again, Syaoran nodded. The Zashiki-warashi, from what he'd seen of her, would be thankful to help Watanuki in _any _way. "…What should I do with this?" He raised the faded silver flower that he'd lain on his lap, some of the vibrant red of the inner core of the bloom dulled with time and wear. He'd almost crushed it when he'd carried Watanuki back to the shop, this flower that Himawari would never receive, struggling against the strange feeling that swept through him when he came into close contact with the other boy.

"I asked you to retrieve Watanuki as your third and final quest," Yuuko replied, tucking the pendant she held back out of sight. "I never specified you had to stop the Jorougumo from taking his eyesight completely, or indeed any other part of his body. That was your own doing, your own services rendered to Watanuki, and so that precious flower is his payment to you."

"I don't want it." Syaoran did not want payment for helping a friend.

"Yet you must accept it," Yuuko said sternly. "Services rendered must be paid for, and prices demanded, however unconsciously, must be received." When Syaoran still looked reluctant the woman reached across, plucking the flower from the boy's grasp. "I will hold this in trust for you, until the time that it is needed."

Syaoran couldn't see himself needing a flower anytime soon. "Thank you, Yuuko-san."

The witch rose to her feet, the flower still between her fingertips, and towered over both of the children who were so much closer to the ground – in height, in age, in weariness and wisdom. The moon bleached her pale skin white, her hair darker than the night sky outside. "I apologise that your night tonight is such a busy one, Syaoran-kun, but we must move on now." Syaoran looked up at her inquiringly. "You have finished paying your price to me." The boy was instantly on his feet, Yuuko moving to the door and ushering him out ahead of her, sliding the frame noiselessly back into place behind her so that Watanuki could rest, undisturbed. She led them to her main lounge and Syaoran was first in, stopping only a few paces into the room and staring at a familiar blond figure on the witch's couch, not understanding why the man was there at that time of night, cradling what looked like a cup of sweetened tea.

"Fai-san?" The man looked up from his – untouched – drink, and his face was just as pale as Yuuko's, probably worse. He wasn't smiling, his eyes utterly blank, and Syaoran didn't understand. "Fai-san, why are you here?"

"For the same reason everyone comes to see Yuuko-san," the mage replied, lips curved with a distant bitterness as he watched the woman herself walk into the room, her own expression still serious, solemn. "I made a wish."

* * *

Watanuki supposed it was a good thing Doumeki Haruka was already dead, or the amount of cigarettes the youth had seen the man get through during their night-time conversations probably would've killed him. People dreaming weren't supposed to be able to smell anything, but still the rich scent of tobacco hung around Haruka, something comforting and familiar even in the ever-changing landscape dreaming crafted up out of thoughts and air.

"The fireflies are bright tonight." Watanuki felt the comment was a stupid one as soon as it left his lips, but still it hung in the air between him and his companion, he himself standing, Haruka calmly seated on the imitation of Yuuko's porch. (Or maybe the porch was the imitation and this was the real thing? It was so hard to tell sometimes.)

Haruka blew out a stream of smoke, letting it curl up into the darkness. "They are, aren't they?" The fireflies were lovely, darts of blue-white amongst the trees in the garden. Weren't they a sign of the Zashiki-warashi? "Perhaps it's their way of apologising to you."

"Why would they apologise?" Watanuki was confused. "The fireflies haven't done anything to me."

"Then that's why they're apologising." Haruka really was nothing like his grandson. "It hurts when we can't protect those we care for."

"About Doumeki's eye -"

Haruka glanced up at him from the side, somehow quelling half-formed words with that look. "I wasn't talking about my grandson's eye."

* * *

"Both of you," Yuuko told the two males sitting on her couch, Fai on one end, Syaoran on the other, "came to this island with a wish for me to grant, and from both of you I demanded your time as a price." Maru and Moro silently brought her a chair and she sat upon it, aware of the brown and blue gazes tracking her movement, the tiny flickerings of action that could lend emotion and meaning to the words she said. "In addition to this, Syaoran-kun has retrieved items for me, pouring his effort and his will into everything, made bonds with others that may later hurt and sting. Fai-san…" the witch's eyes softened slightly, "Fai-san, you have given your precious feelings, your home, the safety that you treasured for so long. Combined, these things you have paid equal the wishes you made to me, and so now I can grant what you've worked for so long."

Fai looked at her more seriously, setting down the cold tea he'd been holding for so long. "Kuro -"

"You wished for _opportunity, _Fai-san. He is it."

Guilt struck Fai again, sharp as the implication that lay in Yuuko's words. "So I did this to him?" It hadn't been Ashura-ou's magic-?

"Regardless of your intervention in affairs, some things would have always happened." There was a vague comfort in what Yuuko said. "It is _hitsuzen_ that things have come to be so."

Syaoran interrupted, hesitant. "About Kurogane-san -"

"Kurogane-san has gone to the place where Sakura-chan is. That is," Yuuko continued, seeing both of her customers snap to attention at that, "castle Leval. It's an old faerie castle enchanted out of time – only those who know where it is can pass through the barrier that divides it from the rest of this world, and only those with strong magic can reach the barrier in the first place."

"How do I get there?" Fai asked at once.

"How do _we _get there?" Syaoran asked, looking at the mage.

"Syaoran-kun -"

"With aid," Yuuko said, overriding Fai. She held out her hands before her, palms up, and something small and white suddenly bounced up onto them, looking unusually serious. "Mokona will help you find your way there, and keep you both in contact with me through the other Mokona throughout your journey."

"Mokona will do her very best," the little creature promised.

"Yuuko-san -" Fai tried again, frustrated. He didn't _want _this – this was his mess; he had to solve it on his own, without dragging anyone else into it, without forcing them to share in the problems he inevitably brought with him. He was supposed to be dealing with this _alone._

Again, the witch overrode him. "Mokona can teleport you anywhere that she has been before. I would advise going first to the Faerie Court – perhaps someone there will be able to advise you on how best to find Leval. The castle _is _of fey creation, after all."

"Thank you, Yuuko-san." Syaoran nodded solemnly as Mokona suddenly leaped into the air, glowing brightly. Wings spread from the creature's back to curl around them as Yuuko's magic circle appeared beneath them on the floor, the wind rising to curl around Syaoran and Fai, pulling them into the vortex that was swirling in Mokona's enlarged mouth.

Fai, with his nails digging into his palms, looked at Yuuko's stoic face until it was no longer possible to do so, closing his eyes as the witch's magic pulled around him and took him to another place. It was only when he felt his feet touch solid ground once more that Fai opened his eyes again, his blue gaze meeting an opulence he hadn't seen in a _very _long time, Syaoran gawking at his side as Mokona cheerily leapt down to sit on the brunet's head.

"We're here~!" Inside the Faerie Court, on the spirit mountain.

"So we are," Fai agreed, tacking a smile to his face as he looked at Syaoran's new choice of headgear. "Mokona is very clever to land us straight in the Faerie Court's Entrance Hall!"

"Mokona _is _very clever," Mokona preened. "Mokona is everybody's idol!"

"_Uwa~," _Fai clapped his hands, almost _visible_ sparkles coming off of his frame. "Mokona gets more and more impressive by the minute!"

"Yup~!" Mokona unashamedly joined in with the sparkling. Syaoran sweat-dropped, and tried not to choke all on the glittery emissions that were floating in the air.

"_Visitors, visitors~!!" _A new voice trilled out a cry before Fai could further flatter Mokona's ego, the sound of two pairs of pattering feet coming flying across the floor to the trio accompanied by the jangle of what sounded like tiny cymbals and tinkling bells, something small and _pink _crashing into Syaoran's knees. Syaoran went flying, Mokona leapt to safety in Fai's outstretched arms, and a second voice spoke out, disapprovingly, originating from a tiny…girl-like creature who had come to stand at the fallen Syaoran's feet.

"You knocked them over." She was a serious thing, dressed in dark colours with hair the same shade, bound up with bells in long pigtails either side of her disproportionate head.

Her pink, short-haired counterpart ignored her, having already scrambled up from where she'd run into Syaoran to do a twirling dance on the boy's stomach, waving a jangling tambourine with a gusto.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome~! Sumomo will do her welcome dance for you!"

"Er…" Syaoran seemed a little nonplussed by the spinning, tambourine-waving girl – and especially her choice of stage -, glancing up at Fai and attempting a discreet whisper, "what _are _they?"

Fai chuckled softly, leaning down slightly to whisper his response as he offered a hand (Mokona moving to his shoulder) and helping the youth up. 'Sumomo' hopped off of his stomach, still spinning on the floor. "Chibis. Don't worry, Syaoran-kun," the boy relaxed minutely, "you'll see a lot worse in this Court."

"F-Fai-san…"

"Come, come~!" Sumomo was singing again, twirling around as she lilted out a strange little song to the rattle of her instrument. "Visitors should come with Sumomo~!"

"Our Regent will give audience to Fluorite-sama within the hour," her companion said somewhat more stiffly. "His companion is free to partake in the food of the feast in rooms adjacent to the audience chamber. Their Highness wishes both of you to know that no harm would come to any emissary sent by the Forest Witch in this place."

"Their Highness is very kind," Fai said, still smiling.

Syaoran tugged on his sleeve, asking quietly, "How do they know you're here?"

Fai patted him on the shoulder. "The fey don't easily forget anything."

"Come~!" Sumomo prompted them again, dancing ahead to get the others to follow her.

Slowly, they went after her as Sumomo led them down vast corridors all but glowing with magic, Syaoran clearly interested as he glanced around himself, asking questions of their other little companion – the second girl, who turned out to be called Kotoko. Fai, for his part, kept quiet and looked only ahead, petting Mokona with one hand absently. They continued like that, right up until Sumomo laid a hand on a gigantic set of double doors before them, the wood swinging inward at once to reveal a room full of talking faeries, their sound obviously previously sealed off from the outside corridor by some magical barrier of some sort.

Almost immediately the talking all but stopped, gazes flickering up to gawk at the newcomers, feeling the threads of magic coming off of both of the humans. The recognition slowly stealing onto a few of the faeries' faces did nothing to abate the shock, the curiosity that was so palpable in the hall, Sumomo and Kotoko apparently oblivious to the gradual whispers that were starting up around the small group of four – five, when they included Mokona – as they made their way into the room.

Mokona took the opportunity to hop down and hide in Syaoran's arms, quietened by the looks.

The two guiding chibis drew to a halt, Kotoko still as serious as ever. "We will inform the Regent of your presence."

Syaoran smiled. "Thank y-" Their guides didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence, disappearing with one last rattle of Sumomo's tambourine, the chime of Kotoko's bells.

Alone now in a sea of virtual strangers, Syaoran shifted a little awkwardly at Fai's side, painfully conscious of the stares they were receiving. How his elder companion could appear so unaffected was beyond him, but Fai only continued to smile in that blithely bland manner of his, so outwardly friendly but so obviously unapproachable. Syaoran didn't dare quite look at him, never mind speak, and Mokona huddled down a little more in the boy's arms, quiet.

And then Fai went rigid. The sudden stiffness in one usually so languid drew Syaoran's attention immediately, the boy looking up to see what had caught his companion's attention and seeing a tall faerie with mismatched eyes and black hair stepping through the hall's whispers, his own implacable smile a direct challenge to the blond his gaze had locked with.

Mokona let out a soft sound, barely above a whisper. "Fai…"

Syaoran frowned slightly, feeling the pull in the air, hearing the increase of hissed messages being flung around them, sensing more than seeing Fai straighten into someone of authority, exuding a chill that just wasn't…that just didn't feel like _Fai, _not the smiling, laughing man of the sunshine forest who called a grumpy wolf silly nicknames and climbed trees with twigs in his hair. This person…this _smiling_ person who didn't even so much as incline his head when the approaching faerie bowed before him, who radiated coldness and greatness and a distance so vast Syaoran _hurt _inside to think of it…that wasn't Fai. This was someone else Syaoran didn't know, had never been introduced to, and the brunet didn't know whether that made him immensely grateful or endlessly sad.

"Fai-bocchan," the faerie male before them rose from his bow, slipping from that smooth movement and seizing Fai by the upper-arms in the next breath, leaning in to kiss the man's mouth. Fai turned his head aside at the last moment, the stranger's lips scraping his cheek instead. "How lovely to see you come home."

Fai raised his hands and placed them squarely in the middle of his captor's chest, pushing the other away and freeing himself. "If I have a home, Seishirou-san, it is certainly not in this Court."

"And I thought our time together meant so much more." 'Seishirou' only smiled when Fai made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat, the faerie turning to look at the silent Syaoran. "And who is this? He's got a little way to go in terms of magical strength, Fai-bocchan, but he looks just as sweet as you once did, all those many years ago."

Fai's snarl was liquid, twisting as the mage stepped protectively in front of his brunet charge, and Mokona flattened herself completely against Syaoran's chest, slipping under the boy's cloak. "Try it and your remaining eye will go the same way as its partner."

Syaoran saw then, more closely, the difference in Seishirou's eyes: the left iris was grey, something that seemed tinged with shades of violet, alive and responsive. The _right _eye, in contrast, was…it _moved _as it should've done, but it was darker than its twin, blanker, closer to black. He…was blind in that eye?

Seishirou smirked, uncaring of the scrutiny fixed upon him, and brushed a hand over Fai's cheek, the edge of his long sleeve touching skin. "You're lovely when you're angry."

The images flooded instantly to mind with the faerie's touch – hot, heated flashes, clasped hands, lips on skin, bodies tangled and twined together under the frost-laced sakura tree at the centre of the Court. His back arched in pleasure, pain, Seishirou's teeth on the pale line of his throat –

Fai tore himself from the visions, reeling, blood still pounding in his ears, some of it having slipped shamefully lower. "…Tell me Seishirou-san," the blond still _felt _breathless, but none of it leaked into his voice, "just _how _many years is it now since you've last seen Subaru-kun?"

Something flashed through the faerie's gaze, a blaze of anger – white-hot –, bitterness, hate, but still Seishirou's smile never faltered. Instead, he gave a long sigh, striking the pose of an indulgent elder. "Little bocchan, didn't your esteemed guardian ever teach you not to pry into others' personal affairs?" Clearly, Seishirou hadn't seen his darling Subaru for a _very _long time.

"But I'd _hate_ to intrude on unfinished business, Seishirou-san." Fai's smile was all the sweeter, carrying on a conversation that went straight over Syaoran's head. The boy had no idea what – or who – they were talking about.

"I'd call no word for a couple of centuries pretty finished – by my book, anyway." A new voice broke into the conversation, another faerie creeping in whilst the others had been too distracted.

Mokona perked up, recognising the tones. "_Fuuma!" _The little creature leapt out from her hiding spot under Syaoran's cloak and onto the new stranger's shoulder, happily chattering away with familiarity.

Syaoran looked confused, Fai mildly interested. The mage ignored Seishirou's brittle expression, and turned to the faerie's brother and Mokona. "You're acquainted?"

Mokona nodded eagerly. "Yup~! Fuuma gave Mokona lots of tasty treats when Mokona was here last time and let Mokona ride around with him all day when Mokona wanted to."

Seishirou smoothly sliced back into the conversation with his usual bland explanation. "My _dear _little brother's taken to collecting stuffed toys just recently."

"Mokona is not a stuffed toy!" Mokona squeaked her protest out; puffing herself up to meet the cool gaze levelled her way. "Mokona is Mokona!"

"Quaint."

"Now, _onii-san," _Fuuma broke in, as Mokona bristled as much as Mokona _could _bristle, "you're offending all our guests. There's a _reason _Lord Subaru finished with you, you know."

"If I recall correctly," Seishirou clearly wasn't in the mood for games, "wasn't it Lord Kamui that did the finishing, as he took his brother along with him?"

Fuuma only smiled. "Ah, no, onii-san dearest. Kamui and I never technically got _started ­– _and you have to start something to finish it."

"Such an optimistic outlook."

Fuuma bowed, still bright. "I try." The fey around them were still whispering and Fuuma straightened, adjusting the glasses he wore on his nose. "Come, onii-san, delightful as this is Ashura-sama will be vexed if you meddle with the Court's guests so soon after their arrival. Look," he extended a hand, the rest of the group automatically following its line to glance at where a silent Kotoko and Sumomo stood, observing. "The eyes and ears of the Regent are here." When they'd gotten there nobody had noticed.

"Come," said Kotoko, taking Syaoran's hand, as Mokona bounded back across to the boy's shoulder, "I'll show you to the table."

"Come," said Sumomo, taking Fai's hand, for once also unusually calm, "I'll show you to Ashura-sama."

Both of them ignored Seishirou and Fuuma, pulling the humans along through the parting sea of faeries, Fuuma giving a lazy mock-salute of goodbye when Syaoran glanced back over one shoulder, Seishirou having already melted into the masses. The two little chibis led the humans and Mokona through the crowds and through another set of double-doors to another room – this place was quieter than the last, with less people, a large table crammed with all manner of weird and wonderful food running the length of one long wall.

Kotoko drew to a halt, Syaoran with her. "You are to remain here, for the time being," she said, rather firmly. "Ashura-sama bids you make yourself at home and sample of the Faerie Court's wares at your own leisure."

Fai glanced with a little concern at his companion, Sumomo not pausing and still leading him along, so Mokona piped up with reassurance, waving one tiny happy paw from her perch on Syaoran's shoulder. "Mokona will stay here with Syaoran!"

"Thank you, Mokona -" Fai attempted to dig his heels in a little to slow his guide down – Sumomo, although tiny, was remarkably strong – offering Syaoran some quick words of advice over his shoulder. "Syaoran-kun, I'll be back as soon as I can, but don't so much as _touch _the burgundy-red fruits; don't go near the golden joint of meat, and _always _be sure to poke every piece of food with something blunt before you attempt to cut into it in any way -"

Syaoran looked mildly confused by such strange guidance, wanting to query what would happen if he _did _go against the recommendations. "Fai-san -" but it was too late, Fai just smiled at him a little helplessly, already being dragged away by the overeager Sumomo, both of them off to see the Regent.

Kotoko watched Syaoran and Mokona impassively, unmoving, but somehow Syaoran got the feeling she wouldn't allow him to follow the departed Fai.

"Syaoran, Syaoran~" Mokona tapped the boy's cheek, bright and burbling, "let's get something tasty to eat~!"

Syaoran smiled at the little creature. "Alright then – let's." And they went off to the table to check out the food.

* * *

**A/N:** Let it be known, one and all, that I am very proud to present to you all this day my darling baby '_Kuro-pon', _my shiny new laptop on which the latter two-thirds of this chapter was written. *snuggles her precious*

Also, also, _also, _I found out during the course of writing this chapter that the seiyuu for Mokona (Mika Kikuchi) and the seiyuu for Fuuma in the Tsubasa OAD (Yuuji Kishi) are getting married on December 4th. Apparently they met at the after-recording sessions for TRC, and Nekoi drew them some pretty art and – oh hell, it's just incredibly cute. _Incredibly. _

(And I have little else to say save I am Sorry This Chapter Took So Long and – er – I got distracted with other fic? _There was still fic coming out. _Don't give me those eyes. I see you. *hides*)


	11. The Faerie Court

**Shadow: **Pretend this chapter didn't take as long as it did? University was terribly distracting, but I'm home for the holidays now.

* * *

**Ever After**

**_Chapter XI: The Faerie Court_**

_Once upon a time, back when the stories were still being newly dreamed of, there was an angel. He was white-winged and silver-haired, pale as the moonlight he was named from and three times more aloof. As the moon circled the earth so too did the angel revolve around his master, a once-king, a magician, who smiled even though his heart was so heavy and sad. He and his lion brother had been crafted out of nothing by the mortal man, devoted in every way to him, aiding him, easing him, entertaining him when time called for it. They were his companions. _

"_Yue," the angel loved to hear his master say his name, large hands slipping through his hair, undoing the plait that bound it and letting it sweep out in a waterfall to trail the floor. _

"_Master," Yue would often reply, and bow his head._

"Clow,_" the man would correct him, and Yue would smile vaguely then, tiny, small, and be drawn into the star-speckled robes the magician favoured, breathing in the scent of his life. _

_Yue did not ask why it was he and his brother, Keroberos, had been created. He did not ask and Clow did not tell them, looking out of the window sometimes to some faraway place where all the wings of heaven could not carry them. Perhaps Clow saw yesterday and tomorrow out there, perhaps he was just watching the clouds. Yue did not ask, humbled, and Clow did not tell him, so Yue crept forward in the night and laid his head in his master's lap, letting Clow run fingers through his silver hair. It was an uncomplicated love in an uncomplicated, small world. If Clow sometimes looked at him and perhaps saw someone else –_

_Yue was the moon, there to reflect his master's glory unquestioningly, put there to comfort and calm and advise. Keroberos played tricks and Yue scolded, but they were all close as the years went by, tripping over one another, fast flipping pages of a book. _

_And then came the day that Clow announced he was going away._

"_Where?" Yue immediately asked, envisioning the three of them on a journey together, and already hearing how his brother would gripe about his fur getting tangled._

"_Somewhere you can't follow," Clow told him, and Yue froze in shock._

"_I can follow you anywhere," the angel insisted – he had been created by Clow; there was nothing he couldn't do, because Clow's power was practically limitless._

"_No," Clow corrected him, gently, gently, and touched a hand to his cheek. "You can't. I'm sorry."_

"Why?" _Keroberos asked, forlorn, and Clow laid a hand atop the lion's head, soft comfort. _

_Clow smiled at them both, serene, sad. "I'm going to die."_

_Yue left the room, and refused to speak to Clow for a week._

"Yue," _Clow called to him, when he thought the angel had had his time to grieve._

"_You don't need to die." Yue stubbornly refused to look at the magician. "You can live forever." Clow looked at him, and Yue sagged. "Do you really want so much to go?"_

_Clow took his angel's head upon his lap, and stroked a hand through Yue's silver hair. "Everything has its time."_

_Clow sent his guardians away, to his blood relations, to the kings and queens and children of the kingdom of Clow, the place beyond the mountains. They went unwillingly but dutifully, Clow's kiss upon their foreheads and the promise that they would be what they needed to be when the time arose. They were to serve the royal family in any way they could, and they were to wait for their next Master, who would be born of the line, a princess who called down a key from the stars. She was destined to take down Clow's brother, the magician named Fei Wong Reed._

_The fated princess was born in the reign of King Fujitaka and his wife and Queen Nadeshiko, their second child and only daughter. She was pretty and clever and oblivious and sweet, clumsy in some ways but terribly astute in others, lighting up the rooms with her smile. Keroberos took her for rides on his back and Yue let her trail after him, tiny hands tugging at his long robes, green eyes pleading if Yue-san would pretty please let her braid his hair…? She'd called down the star key when she was only three, and Yue had bowed to her at once, and called her 'Master'._

_Sakura had stomped her foot, put-out. "I don't want t'be Yue's Master!" She had taken the angel's hands, bubbling with her childish enthusiasm. "Yue will be my friend."_

_Yue had been extremely doubtful._

_Despite all the guards and magical wards the kingdom placed upon her, Sakura was stolen away from her home on her seventh birthday, taken by Fei Wong Reed. Unable to recall her with their own strength Clow could do little but send out their guardians, Yue and Keroberos, to remain with the child, both creatures flying swiftly after their charge. They found her in a floating castle separated from time with heavy magical wards all about it, heavy with faerie enchantment and a foreign, ancient magic that sang of cold lands beyond the woods. _

_Sakura had cried out when she saw her guardians, having been scared, clutching at Yue's legs. The angel had knelt down beside her. "Mistress." _

_Sakura pouted at him. "__I don't want to be your Master, Yue." Her eyes were as earnest as when she'd been three. "I want to be your friend."_

_They tried to take the princess from the castle but the magic of the castle was too strong. Sakura cried a little, missing her family and her friends, and her guardians gently covered her with their wings until she fell into sleep. The man who'd taken the princess for Fei Wong Reed approached them and both guardians snapped defensively, but the stranger only smiled and bowed and introduced himself as Kyle Rondart. They would be provided for, in the castle, in accordance with their good behaviour. Raising your bow and baring your teeth, Rondart tranquilly informed them, just as Yue and Keroberos did those things, did not classify as 'good behaviour'. It would be best to play nicely whilst at Fei Wong Reed's mercy – it would be dreadful, after all, if the little princess had to suffer neglect in any way._

_Yue and Keroberos snarled, but there was little they could do except obey, distrustful of Rondart, of Fei Wong, of the castle and its magics, of the entire situation. The years passed by like that, and nothing happened, save Sakura's growth, in age and looks and power and smiles._

_The princess was sixteen when Kurogane crashed in for dinner._

* * *

Ashura, sole blood child of Ashura-ou and Regent of the Faerie Court, sat in a splendour of red and gold, a slim figure amongst exotic cushions and brocades, servants fluttering about bringing in dishes of food and flagons of drink. As Fai entered, Sumomo singing out his introduction, the servants vanished, seemingly melting into nothing, Ashura looking away from his lap, where they seemed to be threading something together, gaze settling on Fai.

Fai inclined his head. "Your Highness."

"Sumomo, you may leave us." Ashura dismissed the chibi, the little girl prancing out with a cheerful 'bye~!' The Regent didn't rise from their seat, but stretched out a hand to Fai, pausing their work for a moment. The faerie's fingers were pale but scratched, decorated with thin lines of red. What on earth was Ashura making-? "Come, rest here awhile with me, and we shall talk like the siblings we should have been."

Fai glanced up. "Syaoran-kun -"

"You and yours have my protection, and I am very much my father's child when creatures break my rules." Ashura's smile was knife-thin, their hands detached from the sharp expression as they continued to thread – those were _brambles. _Why-? Fai approached the other slowly, taking a seat amidst the cushions as Ashura bid him to. "Lord Seishirou still bears the scars of the day he laid hands on you – _ah," _the faerie spoke, seeing the flicker of Fai's expression; "you were never told of his fate, were you? They etched a sakura tree into his back with a dull blade - the branches curve around his stomach, trail to the end of his wrists. My father damned him to carry his transgressions always, visible scars, and placed a restriction upon him. He has been forced to remain within the Court all these years, bound by the Crown's magic."

Fai remembered how Seishirou had been wearing long sleeves. "He seems the same as he was when I first left this Court."

"Because he _has_ not changed – not for the better, not for the worse. His participation in anything and everything is based entirely upon self-interest." Ashura reached forward, pouring something rich and red from one of the flagons into two goblets and offering one of the cups to Fai. "Lord Seishirou does not like or love any set being – rather, he likes to amuse himself, and to someone as apathetic as him he finds the best amusement to lie in some form of torment."

Fai took a swallow from his drink – it was alcohol, bitter and potent, slamming into his senses and making his head spin for a few long seconds. Even when his thoughts cleared themselves a little the edges still blurred, a curling haze, and he licked his lips for the moisture that lingered there. "I'm honoured to be the entertainment." The sarcasm lay heavy on his tongue – he could quite easily get drunk on whatever it was Ashura had given him.

"You're human," the Regent mildly surmised, as if that explained everything – to one of the fey, it probably did. Ashura continued to thread the thorns in their lap, binding them into a rough circle.

"No," Fai denied slowly. "I'm too old to be human."

"Do you think of yourself as a faerie, then?" Ashura queried, and picked up their own drink. "You were raised by one, the most influential of us all. Magic keeps you going, as it does for us."

"No," Fai shook his head again. "I'm too much of a liar to be fey." Hn – he could see why Yuuko was so terribly fond of Faerie wine; the stuff was _strong. _

"Neither human nor fey," Ashura breathed, studying the goblet in their hand like it held all the answers in the world. Beads of red smeared the metal from the Regent's fingers – it was interesting to note that the fey bled scarlet. "Tell me then, what does that make you?"

Fai smiled wearily and leaned back in his seat, letting his eyes slide shut, his body sink into the cushions around him. "Tired."

* * *

"Ooo," Syaoran was deeply thankful for Mokona – the little creature was deeply unaffected by the amount of faeries looking at the two of them as they stood in the Faerie Court, too occupied by the table piled high with food that was nearby, "Syaoran, Syaoran, that looks tasty!" Mokona hopped down on to the table, enthusiastically bouncing around what looked liked glazed apples. She grabbed one, tossing it up into the air slightly before opening her mouth and swallowing it whole, core and all.

Syaoran _stared_. "Mokona, Fai-san said -"

"Don't touch the burgundy fruit; don't touch the gold meat, and poke everything before you eat it~!" Mokona rattled off the list Fai had given them before being pulled away in a sing-song, already starting on her second apple. It quickly went the same way as the first. "Mokona knows."

"But why-?"

Mokona didn't seem to be listening, on a mission towards what looked like a basket of bread rolls. She grabbed the one on the top and opened her mouth to swallow it whole – only for the 'roll' to suddenly _wriggle, _and morph into what looked like a tiny, cobweb-bound (and gagged) faerie, bright wings frantically a-flutter in the face of impending doom.

"_Mokona!" _Syaoran upset six bowls of food as he suddenly lunged over the table to grab the faerie before Mokona could accidentally(?) eat her, knocking food down and staining the front of his clothes in his haste. The faeries around them _stared _at the human boy suddenly sprawled across their table, a few smothering chuckles behind their hands at the state Syaoran was in. Syaoran didn't care – he held the faerie he'd rescued loosely in one hand, trying to undo the little…creature'sbonds with the other.

"_You almost _ate _me!!" _The liberated faerie certainly had a fine set of lungs, turquoise hair all tangled as one tiny finger was pointed accusingly at Mokona, righteously indignant. _"Me! Primera – the one and only idol!!" _Fai's advice about poking everything before attempting to eat it was slowly beginning to make sense.

"Mokona is sorry -"

"'_Sorry'?!" _'Primera' wasn't having any of it. _"I was almost swallowed by a meatbun!!"_

"Primera-san," Syaoran tentatively began, "I'm pretty sure it was an acc-_er,_" the boy blinked – Primera had suddenly flown to him and wrapped herself around his finger, hugging it.

"My _saviour." _

"Er -" Syaoran really wasn't terribly sure about what to say to the faerie. "Primera-san -"

"You _saved_ me." Primera was keen to reinforce the point, still clinging to the boy's finger. She was barely the size of his hand. "After those _brutes _tied me up and glamoured me I thought I was going to _die _there, and then you came along, my knight in shining armour – _oh, _just wait 'til I tell my Shougo what those idiots did!! _Then _they'll be sorry – they'll see!!"

"'Shougo'?" Syaoran queried.

"My boyfriend." Primera gave a heart-struck sigh. "He's so…so _wonderful." _The little faerie detached herself from Syaoran, fluttering away to sit on the end of a nearby dish and look distantly into nowhere. "We're going to live the Court together and get a place of our own…"

"That sounds very nice," Syaoran said politely, still sprawled rather inelegantly over the dinner table.

"Doesn't it?" Primera was in raptures. "We'll be free of this place forever, Shougo and I – no more singing on demand, no more hiding…" She trailed off dreamily, clearly already envisioning her future life and home.

Syaoran started clambering back off of the table, wincing when his movement upset even more of the dishes of food. Mokona watched. "Syaoran's all messy…"

Primera leapt to her feet. "I can help!"

Syaoran held up his hands. "Ah, no, Primera-san, that isn't really necessary -"

It was too late. Primera had already extended her hands, a glowing, aquamarine light enveloping Syaoran for a moment before fading away.

"_Ooooo." _Mokona seemed entranced, looking at Syaoran, who was then brushing his down newly-cleaned clothes. "It worked."

"_Of _course _it worked, you stupid meatbun!!" _Primera stomped her foot and threw a nearby mushroom at the fluffy ball – Mokona merely opened her mouth wide for the incoming missile, and swallowed it. Primera pointed a finger in disgust. "You did that on _purpose!!"_

"But Mokona _likes _mushrooms!"

"_Don't eat things when I'm throwing them at you!!"_

* * *

The fruit was a gorgeous silver, the soft sweetness inside vivid purple, the colour of a rich new bruise. The juice left a stain on Fai's lips, a dark smear on his features reflected back at him from the metal of his cup, a steadying focus when the Faerie wine span things just a little too much around the mage.

There was a silence between him and Ashura, he Faerie Regent contemplating the tale he'd coaxed from Fai, the reason that had brought the human to his Court.

"My father…" Ashura paused, distant in thought, "he once had an enchanted castle, I know, with wings that lifted it into the sky and shone like starlight. He traded it away not long after I was born though, I've been told, in payment for a wish."

"A wish to Yuuko-san?" Fai queried, setting down his cup.

Ashura shook their head, the long earrings in their ears making a muted jingle. "My father didn't start any dealings with the Forest Witch until many, many years later, shortly before your brother and yourself were brought to this Court." Fai looked slightly taken-aback. "Did you perhaps think the Lady Yuuko was the only one in the business of granting wishes? I assure you; she is not."

"Then who-?"

"I do not know the name of the one who granted the wish – I do not even know what the wish itself was." Ashura had eaten very little that night, still braiding brambles, occupied by the delicate twist of thorns. "The castle was traded away but no doubt strong strands of my father's magic remain there; when you disturbed the curse upon your fiancé perhaps it took him to the castle for the curse to be recast under the assumption that was where my father would go – faeries are drawn to the strongest point of magic, after all. It's in our natures, and our natures are in our spells."

"You think…the curse on Kuro-sama might be broken?" Fai hesitated, not really having thought too much into that. If the curse was broken, then Kurogane was no longer a wolf, and he'd be free to return to his home in Nihon.

"I could not tell you, Fai-ouji." Fai winced slightly at the title, but Ashura pretended not to notice. "I did not craft the spell."

Fai finished his fruit, placing the dark red stone that had been at its heart on a plate in front of him. He could've sworn he never took his eyes off of it but the plate seemed to _blur _all the same, a quick blink and the stone gone, the plate clean, Fai unsure whether he'd just imagined the stone's existence or whether a servant had whisked it away in the snatch of a breath. "Do you know the castle's location?"

Ashura shook their head. "It was not common knowledge, though there will be records of it. Stay upon my hospitality in this Court a few more days; I will have clerks look into it."

His human companion inclined his head. "My thanks, Highness, but -"

"My father will not be returning here of his own volition." Ashura interrupted him, Fai glancing up to see the Regent's oddly fixed face. "The Court will sink into chaos, for I am the heir, and am capable of bearing no more heirs." The faerie reached down; lifting up the thorns they'd been weaving that night, revealing a delicate, jagged circlet. This was offered to Fai, Ashura's eyes serious. "You know what I'm asking of you."

Fai's insides felt like ice, and he quickly shook his head, caring little for rudeness. "I don't want it."

"You are my father's beloved, and my brother in all but name."

"_I don't want it." _Fai wanted a peaceful life with his brother -, that was all. Everything was for Yuui, not for the trickery of the Faerie Court. The problems of the Court were not Fai's concern; he'd abandoned and been abandoned by political wrangling before, and wanted no dalliance with it again. He was essentially human; why would a faerie offer the crown to him-? "Isn't there a hierarchy for these things, anyway? A noble to inherit -"

Ashura looked at him. "A ruler can bypass the hierarchy if they want to."

"Who are you bypassing?"

"Lord Subaru." Who'd vanished from the Court with his brother even before Ashura-ou, and was in the midst of just as much turmoil as the errant king. "Lord Kamui. Lords Seishirou and Fuuma." Any one of them would be a disaster, as the others would always be involved. It would be crowning chaos.

Fai breathed out, slowly. "…I pray that you will forgive me, Your Highness, for my bluntness," he looked up to meet the Regent's golden eyes, "but there was no love lost between us before tonight. Why are you offering the throne to _me?" _

"Some things…" Ashura smiled, and it was sad, terribly sad, "some things cannot be avoided forever, no matter how hard we wish they might be so. And sometimes people get caught up in those lamentable wishes, through no true fault of their own." Fai looked at the Regent, trying to see where they were going with the explanation. "You would do right by this Court, and where else would you go when this year is done, your fiancé returned to him home? There's nowhere else."

It…everything would be gone. The world tilted around Fai again and the blond bowed his head, thinking, because everyone and everything would be gone from him then and – was there anywhere else to go? He could shelter Yuui in the Court, if Yuui would stand with him, his brother who had slept away hundreds of years. Ashura's offer was both cruel and kind. "Alright," his head hurt. "I'll do it."

"I'm glad." Ashura leaned forwards then, and set the bramble crown atop the blond's bowed head. "You are royalty, try as you would to deny it – yours is a head suited for a crown."

Fai's lips twisted into a strange smile, his eyes smoky with shadows too elusive to catch. "Tell me then – do I wear the thorns well?"

Ashura's fingers were still decorated with red scratches, blood that marked the brambles Fai then wore. "As well as any other prince does."

Fai smiled again and took another swallow of his wine. It burned all the way down.

* * *

Yue was still an irritatingly impressive individual even when he hid his wings from sight, coolly courteous as he bid the princess, Sakura, a good night's rest, Keroberos padding off to escort the girl to her room and guard her. Yue took charge of Kurogane, less inquiring whether the shinobi would like to retire for the night and more curtly stating that he would show the man to his room before promptly taking off – if Kurogane wanted any clue where he was going, he'd have to follow the angel, and the angel was _not _waiting around for him.

"Where _is _this place?" Kurogane asked his questions as they walked; Yue seemed to want rid of him as quickly as possible.

"The Mistress told you upon your arrival – castle Leval." Yue's reply was clipped.

"Which _is-?"_

"A place outside of time."

"And how did I get here?"

"We do not know, and I do not care."

Yue was grating more on Kurogane's nerves by the second. "Whose castle is this?"

"It has numerous owners."

"Is your princess one of them?"

There was a sudden flash of blue-white light gilded with silver, and Kurogane abruptly found a crackling arrow of light and ozone pointed at his throat, drawn back and ready to be released. He'd called it up from nothing. Narrowed lilac cat eyes met red, and a taunting _meow _decided to whisper its way through Kurogane's thoughts, memories of a soft body and an edged spite that was uncaring of the situation currently at hand.

"Do _not," _Yue demanded in a low hiss, "put the Mistress on par with the _scum _who keep this castle."

Kurogane acutely felt the absence of his sword, and growled back. "Get that arrow out of my face."

Yue didn't lower his weapon. "I could kill you now."

"You could explain to the princess why her guest is missing at breakfast in the morning as well." Kurogane _really _missed his sword.

Yue glared, but lowered his bow. Clearly, they were going to get along splendidly.

* * *

"Good morning, Doumeki-kun."

The eagle didn't question how it was Yuuko knew he had taken up perch behind her when she wasn't even looking his way – the fact the woman had set up a perch for him in her main lounge and left the sliding door to the garden open for him to fly through spoke volumes enough.

"It's still dark, I know…" the witch was smoking, a strange bittersweetness in the air, in her veiled eyes as she turned towards her guest, "but the moon is past its zenith." There was a long silence between them, and Doumeki knew Yuuko had seen the parcel he'd been carrying, Ashura's price to her, and the uninjured state of his eye. She smiled, rueful, to herself. "You'll be wanting to see Watanuki?"

Doumeki flew after her when she left the room.

Yuuko took him to the room where her employee lay dreaming, Watanuki still in the same position as he had been in when Syaoran had sat watch over him earlier in the night. His expression, however, even in sleep, seemed vaguely perplexed, a strand of dark hair having fallen over his brow. Yuuko brushed it away and Watanuki shifted slightly in his slumber, Doumeki alighting on yet another perch placed strategically beside the sleeping youth.

"It's not my place to say what he did." Yuuko looked up from Watanuki, and her skin seemed as white as bone in the moonlight. She rose to her feet. "You can ask him yourself in the morning; I'll have him make breakfast." She left the room.

Doumeki stayed behind, and kept vigil.

* * *

The hand was sharp in his hair, fingers knotted in the strands at the nape of his neck, pulling gently but firmly – so very _there. _He couldn't quite breathe with the pressure, head tilted just a little further back than usual, his own hands fisted in material – cotton, the smell and the feel and the fibres – against a firm chest in front, close and warm, a leg between his thighs, a head dipped to mouth hot kisses to his throat.

"What -" he felt punch-drunk, slurred, the world reeling and nothing but the body against his, the cool slink of a necklace's chain across the back of his hand, cotton and skin and heat and –

A low whisper against his ear, warm breath. _"Fai."_

Fai _woke_ _up_ in a bower of moonflowers, the tiny trumpet-like flowers parted to the silver light shining in the late- or was that early? - night sky overhead. Their smell was sweet, sharply sweet, and Fai groaned, his head lolling to the side as the dream faded, leaving him aching rather unpleasantly. His lips felt bruised…touching a hand to them Fai could still vaguely recall a foreign mouth, a dream phantom spun up from memory and alcohol. (The reason Yuuko was so fond of Faerie wine was getting clearer by the second.)

Fai pushed himself up into a sitting position, still a little dizzy, the press of Ashura's crown upon his head, not drunk, exactly, but definitely affected. The alcohol in his bloodstream didn't stop his keen gaze alighting on the flowers that formed his bed however, a pale hand plucking up one of the white blooms and bringing it to his face to see it better. Moonflowers, charmed flowers, called Thorn Apples and Hell's Bells and the Devil's Weeds. They were used in spells of love and deliria, and could cause death. They were potent, and could summon up images and sensations of lovers lost.

Fai dropped the moonflower onto the floor, and crushed it beneath his heel. "He never called me 'Fai'." He couldn't even _dream _of a lie anymore, it seemed.

"Did you sleep well, bochamma?" An elegant shadow detached itself from the curves of a tree-trunk when Fai blazed from the bower he'd slept in, a smiling woman dressed in black. They were still inside the Faerie Court.

Fai stopped short, registering the stranger, and then smiled slightly when memory set in. "Oruha-chan?" The faerie had sung lullabies to his brother and him when they had been in the Court, songs that had soothed Yuui when the cursed sickness had taken him and given both the twins respite from guilt and worry. For her kindness, for her aid to his twin, he'd always held the Lady Oruha in high regard.

"Bochamma," the woman inclined her head, glossy curls tumbling about her shoulders. Like Seishirou, it seemed she had not aged a day since he had last seen her. "Ashura-sama asked me to check on and assist you, should you awaken."

"Then why," Fai queried after a few moments pause, "was I placed among the moonflowers?"

"You fell asleep whilst you were with Ashura-sama; you were placed amongst the flowers as a kindness." Oruha saw his slipping smile. "You didn't like the dreams they gave you?"

Fai fixed his usually cheerful expression more firmly in place. "They were a little unrealistic."

Oruha kept smiling, but her gaze was far too knowing for Fai to be at all comfortable. "We like the moonflowers for the respite they can give us…no-one considered immortal has ever been fond of personal pain. Aged hearts hang too heavy when sorrow rests upon them – it is why the fey so determinedly assure themselves every day that they are always full of joy."

The world of the fey was a place full of delusions. "Could you take me to Syaoran-kun?" He'd abandoned the boy for long enough.

"The child? He's asleep."

"Still."

Oruha took Fai's arm and led the human away from the trees and back inside the building main of the Court, brushing past the few faeries whispering along at that hour in her long gown and escorting her companion down a series of corridors, stopping in front of a plain bronze door.

"A guest room," the lady explained, and Fai pushed the door open.

The chamber inside was dim, washed-out in golden sepia and shadows, simple in furnishings but still clearly comfortable. Fai had to step closer to the large bed to make out the state of its occupants, smiling faintly at the image of the snoring Mokona and sprawled-out Syaoran, a small green-haired faerie tangled in the boy's hair, mumbling something or other about someone or something called 'Shougo'.

"You had a little too much wine, hm?" Fai pulled the blanket on the bed up over Syaoran a little more, patting a gentle hand on the youth's shoulder. "Have a good sleep, Syaoran-kun. Don't dream."

Fai went to Oruha and the woman led him through the maze of corridors once more, elegant, smiling.

"I think this will be the last time we shall talk, you and I."

"Oruha-chan…?" Fai paused, mid-step, and turned to look at the woman beside him.

"My ability…" Oruha laid a hand above her heart, fingers touching the clover tattoo there, "this mark is an irony, did you know? Four-leaf clovers are renowned for their luck, and so it was given to me as a makeweight for the luck many feel I do not possess. Aside from the common magic, all faeries by nature have an innate talent that is unique to them, something special that sets them apart. Our lord Regent Ashura can summon great blasts of fire. Lord Seishirou can charm the magic and minds of strangers with his presence. His brother, Lord Fuuma, can see the hearts of people. My ability, strangely enough, is the ability to know the date upon which I am to die."

"…You're…going to die?" That couldn't be so. It was a lie. Oruha looked extraordinarily healthy, a faerie in her prime. She's hadn't aged a day since he'd last seen her, back when he'd been small and Oruha had tucked him up in bed and sang Yuui to sleep.

She touched a hand to Fai's cheek, seeing the stricken look on the human's face. It had been a long while since Fai had had to confront death so baldly, hiding behind spells in the forest, his brother saved to a point and sleeping sweetly, soundly, Ashura pressing kisses to his own forehead, mouth, oblivion from the bloodshed of Valeria. Silly laughs and spins under the sunshine trees because it was fine, it was good, and they _weren't_ _thinking_ _about_ _it_. Why bear the heartache?

Oruha smiled, gentle. "It is not such a terrible thing, bocchama. All things must come to an end eventually – some sooner than others. From the moment of my birth I was aware of the time of my departure from this life; I have long since grown accustomed to it, and grown used to the waiting. It is something expected, and I shall go to my rest knowing I have done all that I would have had done, at peace." She dropped her hand. "Death can sometimes be a blessing, bocchan, at the right time, for the right people."

"Death -" Fai could list plenty of reasons for why someone would want to leave the world they lived in, to sleep forever, but that was a dangerous path to start down. "I'm sorry, Oruha-chan. Lady Oruha." Fai took a half-step back. He – was he looking at a walking corpse? The outside was lovely, but –

'_All the pretty faces you pull don't hide the fact that you're a liar – whatever the hell it is that you're so fixated_ _on_, get over it_. The world goes on as usual, with or without your cooperation.' _

Kurogane's words had the horrible habit of lingering unpleasantly in the mind. The outside couldn't hide the inside and –

He'd been _happy _before this, hadn't he? He must've been happy, somehow, some way. Ashura-ou loved him, Chii loved him, Yuui loved him. He was loved and he was fixing things and he –

He'd ruined everything all over again. Misfortunate. Cursed.

"I'm sorry." Fai smiled again, wide and cheerful and painfully hollow. "I'm sorry," _I don't want to speak to you again you scare me go away don't die, _"I'll go to my rooms now."

Oruha only watched silently, understandingly, as he tripped off, heading automatically for the chambers he had been granted to share with Yuui when he'd been a child, but pausing halfway, leaning against the wall. What…was he doing-? He…it didn't feel right to go there; he wasn't that boy anymore. He'd put his brother into an endless sleep since then; he'd ripped apart his own magic and made life since then; he'd effectively stolen and slept with a Faerie King, putting a Court into a downward-spiralling chaos since then. He'd smiled and lied and cried and died inside so many times since then, again and again, blithe and bright to outward gazes. He wasn't a boy, anymore. He was a different Fai now – he had been for a long time.

'_A pleasure to meet you – I am Fai D. Fluorite.'_

He –

'…_You're an idiot.'_

Fai didn't quite know why it was he'd come to the enchanted tree in the Court's old Throne Room. The place didn't really hold any good memories for him. Under the moonlight the ever-blooming sakura blossoms were gilded with frost, the worn bark humming with old, strong power, a magician's foresight. The grass between the roots was soft and carpeted in pink petals, Fai sinking down there, pillowing his head on his arms. The magic there felt good, comforting, the moonlight filtering down through the branches and leaving silver dapples on his clothes, strange soft hollows in the curves of his face and throat.

Fai fell asleep there, dreamless, the tree's strength soothing his own troubles temporarily, the magic there welcoming him in, recognising him. The frost on the blossoms slowly crept down the trunk and spread around the prince, slinking out to slumbering Court beyond and embellishing it in a thin, glittering veneer of cold. Even when the moonlight faded and the sun began to rise the frost remained, the Court waking and whispering at the sight. The sakura tree, for the first time in its life, was coated in frost during the day, the fey huddling in corners and talking about the strange magic lying in the shimmering cold.

Fai, when he eventually awoke, found himself littered with blossoms and crystals of ice, and he had to spend a good while chipping at the frost-laced crown on his head, attempting to detach the brambles from his hair.

* * *

"_Good day to you." _The voice was low and warm, familiar to her from days of drifting conversation, nights of curling dreams.

"Good day to you as well," Tomoyo smiled when Yuui extended his hand to her, an aid as she padded down the worn stone stairs of his dreamscape in her slippered feet, coming to a delicate stop beside the tranquil pond at the bottom. "Or should I say good morning?"

Yuui only smiled – time really meant nothing to him, only sparing a thought to it for how it affected those who walked through his sleep. The pond was a perfect mirror of the cloudless blue sky; the prince's mind was mostly at peace. _"I am honoured – usually Tomoyo-hime reserves her visits for the afternoon and evening alone."_

"I had a dream." Tomoyo liked it that Yuui didn't leap in to question her, taking a seat on a large rock nearby and waiting for her to express herself as she wished. He had all the time in the world. "About my special someone."

"_Was it a good dream?"_

"She seemed happy."

"_Was it a good dream?"_

"She seemed happy," Tomoyo repeated, and carefully sat on a nearby rock herself, spreading her ornamental robes about her. "So it was a good dream."

"_I dreamed too." _It was questionable as to how conscious the unconscious Yuui was when his dreams remained separate from others' – who was Tomoyo to say it seemed strange to dream whilst truly living only in dreams?

"Of your brother?" Yuui smiled slightly and nodded, and the princess raised a hand to touch her eyes, her companion's form blurring before her, two figures seated on the rock where before there had been one. Both blond, both blue-eyed and smiling, but only one focused on her; the other twin was looking at the sky, at the unending blue. Tomoyo clapped her hands. "Is that Fai-shi?" Yuui had given her his brother's name, the name of Kurogane's fiancé.

"_My vision of him, anyway." _The image of Fai rose from his seat, stepping forwards, walking out onto the pond. He didn't sink; he didn't even disturb the surface. _"He isn't real."_

Tomoyo watched the illusion, the smooth, absent flow of his limbs, the distance in his smile. "Few things truly are." She closed her eyes to think for a little while and opened them to see another form morphing from nothing, a pretty brunette dressed in a simple gown of pale rose, the image blushing when the Fai bowed to her, taking her hand and kissing it. The blond smiled and said something and the girl smiled back and laughed, and the two looked happy.

Yuui looked content. _"I'm happy they seem to get along."_

* * *

It was an accepted fact that there was a direct correlation between just how frustrated one Watanuki Kimihiro was feeling on any particular day and the amount of noise said youth made banging pots and pans together in the kitchen as he prepared food. Watanuki could summon up quite a racket (without even opening his mouth) when he deemed it necessary, Yuuko forced to send Maru and Moro to inspect the boy twice within one hour to check her employee hadn't put a hole in one of her walls, or something equally as destructive. Even Mokona was staying away that morning, chased off by the oppressive atmosphere lurking wherever Watanuki went.

"Oi," Doumeki had not been at the boy's side for Watanuki waking – the moment Watanuki's lashes had fluttered with the first signs of rousing the eagle had left, flapping his wings to get out of the room and for a quick flight outside. Watanuki banging around in the kitchen, however, had eventually called him back inside, and he perched carefully on the back of a kitchen chair, eyes intently fixed on the back of Watanuki's stubborn head. "Oi."

Watanuki (if it were at all possible) banged his pots a bit louder.

Doumeki was unrelenting. "Oi."

"_My name is not '_oi_'." _Watanuki refused to turn and look at him, but at least he stopped whacking things around so loudly.

Doumeki was quiet for a long while and Watanuki seemed satisfied the bird was contemplating his words, returning to what he'd been doing. "Oi," Watanuki twitched, "idiot."

"_Who do you think you're calling an idiot?!" _Watanuki whirled on him, tone forced. _"I, the great Watanuki-sama, should be lauded and praised for – _what?!" The youth flinched slightly as the eagle hopped closer; shrewd gold gaze focused firmly on the bandage Watanuki was wearing over his right eye, beneath his glasses.

"What did you do?"

"I'm making breakfast -"

"What," Doumeki said clearly, coolly, rigidly still, "did you _do?" _The question was far too direct for Watanuki to feign ignorance of what the bird was asking about.

Still, he tried. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The spiderweb on my eye fell off."

"Great." Watanuki couldn't get any more unenthusiastic.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't -" Doumeki swept out one of his large wings at the other's face, Watanuki throwing up an arm, both actions jostling the glasses from his face. They clattered on the kitchen floor, noisy in the sudden silence. Watanuki glared at the eagle before him.

Doumeki looked stoically back. "I can only take off the bandage with my beak." Which would probably hurt, as the eagle's beak was quite noticeably _sharp_.

Cornered, Watanuki took off the bandage himself. He leaned forwards as he did so, his fringe shadowing his face, dark against his pale skin, but Doumeki waited until he straightened up again, looking at the eagle almost defiantly, one of his eyes the same dreaming blue as always, but the other –

Doumeki's beak seemed to _snap _as he closed it, the beat of his wings terrifically loud as he took to the air, forcing his way out of the kitchen and making Maru and Moro squeak as he went past them, the two girls having been sent to check Watanuki hadn't somehow managed to kill himself since their last inspection.

Watanuki ignored them, and went back to his food preparations, yanking the bandage back on with more force than was necessary, covering up his blank right eye. "Stupid _bird."_

* * *

Despite the slight oddness of his choice of sleeping quarters the night before Fai was perfectly comfortable as he sat down to breakfast with the Faerie Regent, having been led to some baths and given a change of clothes before coming to eat. He was no stranger to the Court's elaborate style, as much at ease as he possibly could be in the elegant robes, making small talk with Ashura as he waited for Syaoran to come in.

The boy, when he finally arrived a little later, came in looking somewhat ruffled and self-conscious, pulling at his Court robes and trying to quell the bickering that was going on on either side of his head, Mokona and Primera already in the middle of what sounded like a heated debate over Mokona's apparent inability to be brought into decent company, one sitting on each of Syaoran's shoulders.

"_You try to _eat _people!" _Primera really did have quite an impressive voice for someone so little.

Mokona wasn't to be outdone, piping out her protests in a slightly giggly fashion. "Mokona already explained that was an acci-dent-!"

"_I was _right there! _How did you _not _see me?!"_

"Good morning." Ashura's smile was pleasant, looking to the human boy in the middle of the bickering. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, thank you," Syaoran went to take the free seat at Fai's side, the elder man giving his own smile in greeting. Mokona hopped down on to the table but Primera stayed on Syaoran's shoulder, sulkily trying to hide herself in the edges of his hair.

"Syaoran-kun, this is Ashura-sama," Fai offered a brief introduction, "the Faerie Regent and heir."

"Your Highness," Syaoran bowed his head as much as he could without disturbing the faerie who was using him as her select perch and defence against magical meatbuns. "My thanks for your kind hospitality."

"Feel free to make yourself at home during your stay here." Ashura brushed the comment delicately away, pouring a thin stream of some fruit juice into a cup. "Nowhere is barred to you, save, of course, the private quarters of individuals."

Syaoran looked a little taken-aback. "That's very kind of you, Your Highness." There was a lull in the conversation.

Fai picked it up again, breaking a sweet cake into smaller pieces and popping one of them in his mouth. "How was the banquet, Syaoran-kun? It was your first taste of fey food, right?"

The boy coloured slightly. "It was…memorable." To say the least.

"Syaoran got _druu~uuunk," _Mokona's words were a croon, and she giggled into one paw. Syaoran went redder. "Lord Yasha had to carry Syaoran to bed; Mokona heard some of the faeries talking."

If anyone saw Ashura flinch slightly at the mention of the name no-one said anything, distracted as Primera offered her agreement to the situation. "Syaoran-kun is such a silly drunk!"

"_Silly drunk~! Silly drunk~!"_ Mokona took up the chorus, bouncing giddily all around the table.

Fai opened his hands to the little creature, Mokona bounding immediately into the amused blond's hold and letting out a strange burbling _purr, _snuggling into Fai's grasp. "I think _Mokona_ might still be a little drunk herself."

"_NoooOOOoooo~," _protested Mokona as she hiccupped – and then promptly fell over, beginning to snore.

As one, those at the table sweat-dropped.

* * *

"Good morning, Kurogane-san, Yue-san!" The princess Sakura was just as cheerful as she'd been the night before, bright-eyed and welcoming as the shinobi stomped his way into the hall in the morning, _human,_ an almost-smirking Yue a few paces behind him. When all Kurogane did was mutter something under his breath and take a seat close to her, the princess looked at Yue inquiringly.

"I went to escort Kurogane-san to breakfast, afraid he might have gotten lost otherwise." Yue folded his wings demurely, and took a seat of his own.

"That was good of you, Yue-san!" Sakura smiled brilliantly – Kurogane muttered something again.

Keroberos, seated at Sakura's side, looked at his created sibling slightly suspiciously. "…You're looking happier than usual this morning."

"I merely wish to make myself useful to the Mistress." Yue had a cool charm about him – most sane people fled. "The new guest had to be suitably attired for breakfast, did he not?"

Sakura only nodded innocently, but Kereberos allowed his eyes to slide to their guest once more – to the tight pants and high boots Kurogane was wearing, the elegantly impractical courtier's jacket with puffed sleeves and tassels. _Ah._

Sakura clapped her hands. "You look very pretty, Kurogane-san!"

Kurogane _twitched, _and muttered something under his breath about how he'd almost preferred being a _wolf._

* * *

It was heading on towards late afternoon when Watanuki sought out Mokona, the black creature tucked away in some corner of the shop doing the-gods-only-knew-what whilst Yuuko took an afternoon 'nap' – the witch was well on her way to developing another one of her infamous hangovers for when she opened her eyes again, sprawled out in the main lounge on her favourite couch.

"Wata~nuki~!" Mokona seemed pleased to see the boy, jumping down off the high shelf he'd been sitting on, poking one of Yuuko's many 'treasures' (Watanuki _affectionately _referred to the collection as 'the great pile of junk that was only useful for collecting dust'), and landing on Watanuki's head. Watanuki promptly shrieked (in a rather girly fashion), flailed, and dropped the tray of food (bribery) he'd been carrying on the floor. "Mouuuu," Mokona leaned over the boy's forehead to assess the damage, "Watanuki ruined it."

"I did _not – _GET OFF OF MY HEAD!" Watanuki pulled the giggling meatbun off of his head with both hands when the creature laughed at him, huffing loudly and wondering just why it was he subjected himself to that kind of torture. It was necessity alone, really. "…I wanted to ask a favour."

Mokona wiggled out of Watanuki's grip, hopping down onto a nearby table and looking up at the human. "Watanuki should tell Yuuko, so she can add it to his tab. Yuuko can do lots more than Mokona can, and Mokona is amazing already!" (The sad thing was, Mokona was being perfectly truthful.)

Watanuki bent down, beginning to pick at the mess on the floor. "Yuuko's asleep right now – I'll tell her when she wakes up."

"Ooooo~," Mokona sat and watched him unhelpfully, "Watanuki's being sneaky."

"I'M NOT BEING SNEAKY!" Mokona only chortled at him, singing 'sneaky, _sneaky' _under his breath. Watanuki pulled a face and dumped the remnants of what he'd brought as a bribe/offering on the table beside the witch's creation, taking a deep breath. "…I want to talk to Syaoran-kun." Mokona stopped chortling, long ears perking slightly. "You can do that, right? Through the white Mokona?"

"Mokona can call Mokona wherever Mokona might be in the _whooole _world." Mokona toddled forward on the table a few steps. "Why does Watanuki want to talk to Syaoran?"

"I -," Watanuki coloured a little, and looked away. "He saved my life, the other night. He left before I could say thank you or goodbye."

Mokona was quiet for a few minutes, processing the information. "…Mokona would be glad to help." The gem on his forehead began to flash.

"Hey, wait, I didn't mean _now-!"_

"Calling Syaoran~!"

"_Yuuko-san?" _It was too late. A large, circular image of Syaoran had appeared in mid-air, the brunet clad in some strange style of clothes, a garden in the dying colours of autumn at his back. Syaoran's face eased into a smile. _"Watanuki-kun."_

"Syaoran-kun -" everything Watanuki had been planning to say stuttered and died. "Er -"

"…_How is your eye?" _Syaoran's gaze seemed concerned. _"I apologise for leaving so quickly; I wanted to stay around to see how you were when you woke up, but -"_

"Your wish is more important." Watanuki's smile was slight, but it was pleasant, understanding. If it was for Himawari, he would've done the same. "Where are you now?"

"_The Faerie Court in the spirit mountain – Yuuko-san and Fai-san think the fey here may know something about the location we're looking for, and the Regent has offered to help us with our search." _The boy fidgeted, and pulled at the jacket he was wearing with one hand, still a little uncomfortable in it. "_They've been nothing but kind."_

Watanuki bowed his head, and tried not to feel too awkward. "…I hope it goes well for you. About the other night, Syaoran-kun…" Syaoran began to look discomfited as well, "I wanted…to thank you. For saving me." Both boys were going red, embarrassed. "So thank you."

"…_I'm glad I was able to help."_

There was a painfully awkward silence. Syaoran was a determined boy who only really knew how to talk about his goals, slightly ill-at-ease in social situations, and Watanuki, in general, was rather socially inept. (Yelling at spirits that could only be seen by a handful of individuals tended to gain one social alienation from the majority of the populace, be it human or fey.) Both boys were as bad as each other. They were kind and good and well-meaning, but not terribly renowned for their stimulating conversations.

Watanuki poked the mess on the table, and tried vainly to ignore the fact Mokona looked like he was laughing at him again. "I should get going."

"_You're probably busy."_

"Yuuko-san leaves me work to do even when she's _asleep." _Watanuki griped, back on safe ground when it came to complaining about his eccentric employer/slave-master. "Work, work, work – and she never appreciates it anyway -"

"_Um -"_

"- always, 'more sake, Watanuki!' Or 'bring more snacks, Watanuki!' Honestly, I don't know where she _puts _it all -"

"_Watanuki-kun -"_

"_Why me?!" _Watanuki slumped to his knees and wailed as Syaoran laughed a little nervously on the other end of the connection. After a while the witch's employee trailed off, sighing and rising to his feet once more. "…I should go – Yuuko-san will probably be waking from her nap soon, and she'll want her hangover cure."

Syaoran smiled. _"Of course." _A pause, "_I'm glad you're well, Watanuki-kun."_

Watanuki smiled back. "Good luck with your wish."

* * *

Syaoran was still smiling as the portal image of Watanuki faded, the red gem on Mokona's forehead losing its light, the little creature bouncing enthusiastically into Syaoran's arms.

"Watanuki and Syaoran are good friends!"

Syaoran smiled down at her, the expression small but sincere. "I hope so."

"Mokona and Syaoran are friends too?" Syaoran nodded. "Mokona and Syaoran are friends! Mokona will give Syaoran an extra-special kiss that Mokona only gives to friends!" Mokona jumped up out of the other's hold onto Syaoran's shoulder, placing a quick kiss on the boy's cheek. "Now it's official~."

Syaoran was still smiling when they were interrupted, a familiar smooth-smiling face moulding itself from the shadows and offering a cursory nod of the head in greeting.

Mokona pressed herself into Syaoran's neck. "Lord Seishirou."

Syaoran himself had tensed the faerie had made his presence known, the magical aura morphing almost out of nothing, out of the natural walls made of petals and bark and stone. He nodded back, wary of the one who had made the smiling Fai flicker. "Lord Seishirou."

"Our noble Regent would have it that you are kept entertained during your stay in this Court." Seishirou's tone was laconic, utterly apathetic to the effect he was having on the human boy and his pet. "Having heard of your interest in history and sociology -" Syaoran didn't want to know how Ashura had come by the information, "it was strongly suggested I act as an escort for our new guests for at least a day or so."

Syaoran wavered, unsure of what to say, but Mokona leaned up against the boy's cheek, whispering into Syaoran's ear. "Syaoran, Mokona knows it's really rude to say no when a faerie offers a gift."

"Very rude?"

"Very, very."

Syaoran looked up at Seishirou, the faerie's face blandly blithe. "I'd be honoured to take you up on your kind offer, Lord Seishirou."

The older male nodded in acknowledgement, and extended a hand. "Shall we?" Syaoran didn't take the hand, but moved to stand beside the faerie. Mokona was silent, ears flat along her body and unusually subdued.

It quickly became clear Lord Seishirou knew what he was talking about when it came to the Faerie Court – he seemed to be an endless supply of information and, despite himself, Syaoran found himself slowly becoming interested in what his guide had to say. The fey had a rich and complex history, a story behind every item, person, belief and Seishirou seemed apparently able to recite any and all of them off the top of his head, words tinged with a touch of cynical realism.

"This is one of the libraries." Seishirou pushed open yet another door in his tour, ushering Syaoran into the decent-sized room ahead of him with an easy hand. The lights strewn along the wall began to glow softly as the human boy approached them, sunlight slanting in through artfully-placed windows onto the living bookshelves, growing branches _moving_ as Syaoran watched them, wide-eyed, covering up some of the tomes, pushing forward others to receive better attention. Mokona made a small '_ooo' _noise, poking one of the branches with her paw. (A small tendril immediately shifted, growing out to poke her back.) "They're enchanted shelves," Seishirou explained, taking a seat at a nearby desk. "Our king charmed them to amuse some of his favourites – this room was a gift to them. That's why this library is unique in all the Court."

Syaoran pulled a book from one of the many shelves, curious, the branches seemingly satisfied by his choice, falling still as he flipped the text open. "Unique in what way?"

Mokona piped up. "Did Ashura-ou love them very much?"

Seishirou didn't answer either of the two visitors to the Court, his gaze intent as he looked at Syaoran. "Can you read that?"

"Only a little," Syaoran admitted, moving forward a few steps towards the other at the desk. "Is it written in a fey language? The origins seem a little strange…"

"Human," Seishirou told him. "From a dead kingdom where words were everything. A country of magicians."

His companion considered the library. "Are all these books written using that language?" Seishirou only smiled at him. "How did the king come by this much literature?"

"I didn't say the kingdom was _far away, _did I?" Seishirou sounded indulgent, resting his elbow on the wood table beside him, his chin on his hand. "It used to exist just beyond the trees of the forest beyond the mountain; I was around when it fell into ruin." He picked up a small journal-type book lying on the desk with his free hand, flicking it open and perusing it for a few seconds before tossing it at Syaoran. "That one will probably interest you." Seishirou seemed uncomfortably familiar with a room that had apparently been reserved for particular individuals – but then, maybe he'd been acquainted with the ones who'd used it?

Syaoran opened the smaller book, putting down the larger one he'd been holding beside the smiling Seishirou. Mokona leaned forwards curiously to see the new text, her ears flicking thoughtfully. "Mokona thinks the writing is different."

"It is…" Syaoran was studying the new language, seemingly entranced. "The origins are quite similar to the other one, but the use is different." He looked up at Seishirou. "This one is written in the fey tongue?"

The other nodded. "That is correct."

"Syaoran is really clever!" Mokona burbled.

"My father taught me a lot of what I know," Syaoran smiled and coloured a little a little at the praise.

"Then Syaoran's father must be really clever too!"

"He's dead now."

Mokona wilted a little. "Mokona is sorry; Mokona didn't mean -"

"Mokona meant well." Syaoran raised a hand to his shoulder and let Mokona cuddle into it, petting the little creature gently. "Thank you, Mokona." The boy went back to the book Seishirou had given him. "…What is this?"

"A story," Seishirou told him laconically, "about a rather inept faerie who fell in love with a human and gave up everything for him, running away from Court, leaving behind family and friends."

Mokona sounded happy. "It's a _love_ story!"

"The human dies," Seishirou continued smoothly (Mokona made a small, distressed sound), "and the faerie waits for a hundred years for the human's soul to come back to the living realm so that they can be reunited."

"That's ro~_man_~tic!" Mokona defended her ideals. Seishirou made a noncommittal noise, and Mokona looked to Syaoran for support. "Syaoran, isn't it romantic?"

Syaoran wasn't really listening to her, absorbed in the writing before him, part of the tale, translating it in his head. _'The most beautiful things are the most tragic.'_ In the margin beside there was a childish scrawl, a looping script in a different language - the same human one Seishirou had pointed out before: '_Yuui is the most beautiful thing, because we're not the same anymore.'_

Syaoran looked up at the faerie beside him, interest piqued again. "Whose books were these?" Seishirou had said the library was a gift for the king's favourites, but Syaoran hadn't heard of anyone the king had particularly favoured in the Court gossip he'd overheard. Then again, the fey seemed pretty careful with what they said around him – there was a bigger picture Syaoran was missing somewhere, and it was mildly infuriating to have it hidden from him. Still, if it wasn't directly his business… Everyone was entitled to their secrets.

Seishirou smiled back at him, adept at _keeping_ those secrets. "A stray's."

Syaoran closed the book, and put it down. There were too many things he didn't understand. "Lord Seishirou…why is it that you chose to take me on this tour?" For all his words at their first meeting Seishirou hadn't been particularly interested in Syaoran – that much had been obvious, the faerie's gaze sliding over Syaoran swiftly to the bristling Fai. It was clear that Fai deeply disliked the faerie; perhaps Seishirou was doing it just to irritate the man?

Seishirou considered him for a long while, before smiling again and looking away, removing the glasses from his face to wipe them on his fine jacket. "There are certain types of kindness in this world we live in, Syaoran-kun, and there are certain souls who are kin in their kindness – they have the same rash recklessness, self-sacrificial for the sake of others to their last breath." Seishirou's smile twisted, darker than before, and Syaoran found himself staring, Mokona pressing herself back into the boy's neck. "It makes them ridiculously predictable."

"I -" Syaoran still didn't quite understand. Something plucked at his thoughts, but failed to gain a good grasp without enough support in the way of further knowledge.

Seishirou put his glasses back on again, all sunshine, and stood, ruffling Syaoran's hair with one hand and messing it up thoroughly. "Don't worry about it, Syaoran-kun. Come," Syaoran tried to see through the hair then in his eyes, "I'll take you to Fai-bocchan. He's probably wondering where you are." Seishirou headed for the door without any confirmation from Syaoran – he had to follow him, or else get left behind.

Seishirou led Syaoran through the Court like he knew exactly where he was going, following some unseen signal straight to Fai. When Syaoran closed his eyes he could only feel the barest pinprick of Fai's presence, the mage's brand of magic blurred in his senses by all the fey magic in the air. Seemingly, Seishirou didn't have the same problem.

Fai was sitting at a table on a crafted balcony, adjacent to a communal room and accessed through a great set of coloured-glass doors pushed open, above the training grounds. He was absently watching the sparring below as servants whispered about him, offering refreshments, taking used items away, a few faeries of the Court milling around the room leading to the balcony, but none going too near it.

Syaoran paused for a second when he first saw Fai, suddenly uncomfortable, feeling a little small, a little awed – feelings strongly akin to when he'd met the princess Sakura for the first time. After all, the girl was _royalty - _but then she'd smiled at him, rushing forward to take his hands –

"_Fai~!" _Mokona leapt down from Syaoran's shoulder and bounded over the mage, scattering the faerie's gathered around the blond and drawing Fai's attention immediately.

"Mokona," Fai smiled and it was incredibly warm, Syaoran's knot of strange feelings easing up and loosening so that he could approach the table beside Seishirou. This was Fai, after all – just Fai, who he knew, who was helping him find Sakura, who was his friend. "Syaoran-kun," Fai looked just as happy to see the boy, catching Syaoran's eye as Mokona began to bounce on the table and rattle the china upon it in her enthusiasm.

"Fai-bocchan," Seishirou made up for the greeting he didn't get, pleasantly impervious to the narrowing of Fai's eyes at him. "How are you today?"

Fai wasn't keen to offer much by way of an answer. "Perfectly fine, Seishirou-san," _now go away. _(Syaoran had to wonder where it was people learned to smile even when they hated one another.)

Seishirou went to the edge of the balcony, looking over at the faeries on the training grounds, identifying the two who were in direct line of sight. "Our lord Regent asked whether you would care to oversee his skill with a blade?" Fai nodded, short. "…He spars with Lord Yasha."

"I know of the man."

"He is one of the Court's best warriors – not that we have ever held a contest to place us in rank." Seishirou's tone was casual, blasé. "That could cause contention, after all, and it would never do to have that, would it?" Fai, Syaoran and Mokona all looked at him. "Syaoran-kun, have you seen Lord Yasha? I heard tell he carried you to your chambers last night, but you were apparently unconscious then, so you probably didn't see him."

When Syaoran (blushed and) shook his head Seishirou motioned for the boy to come stand beside him. Fai stiffened, but didn't say anything, so Syaoran compromised and went to stand closer to Seishirou, but not in the closer space that had been originally indicated.

Seishirou pointed to two faeries fighting in the very centre of the grounds, the ringing sound of their swords drifting up to the balcony. The first fighter was very obviously the Regent, Ashura, slim and flowing with their high-bound hair and delicate, sharp grace, though the second was unfamiliar, taller and broader in build. He was a good swordsman – both faeries were, and their sparring was fascinating to watch, a magic all in itself.

"Good, aren't they?" Syaoran could only nod. "It's hard to believe that Lord Yasha is dying."

Syaoran stared. "What?" The faerie on the grounds looked fine to him.

"That's what they say." Seishirou was _still_ smiling, Fai listening thoughtfully. "He's sick, some wasting illness without cure. You see the scar over his eye? He stumbled in a spar in a spell of dizziness and the Regent accidentally slashed him – his magic has been strange ever since." When Syaoran looked vaguely perplexed Seishirou elaborated. "Many say magic is the soul of a person, that's why you can see it, steal it and destroy it in the eyes. It's in the blood, shifting through your body with every breath you draw into your chest, but it's focused in the eyes."

Mokona looked distressed, but Syaoran couldn't tear his eyes away from the doomed fighter. "How long until-?"

"Who knows?" Seishirou gave an elegant, inhuman shrug – _who cares? _"The Regent may know if Lord Yasha has spoken of it to him – I heard tell it was a forbidden subject between them, but who can tell if the reports of a lovers' row are true? People can gossip so."

Fai considered the news. "…Ashura-sama and Yasha-san are lovers?"

"Sweethearts, at the very least." Seishirou seemed to dislike the title. "The great rumour is that our Regent wished to have him as the future consort – but, of course, our law dictates that the Regent cannot take a consort without the King's permission, and since His Majesty has been absent from the Court for such a very long time…" Seishirou trailed off delicately. "Such a tragic mess."

It explained a lot. It explained a _terrible _lot, especially to Fai. To Syaoran it was an interesting fact; to Fai it was another weight to be added to his lot of guilt.

Seishirou left after some time, disappearing with a smile and a bow and a particularly facetious wave. Syaoran took a seat at Fai's table after the faerie was gone, one of the servants pouring him something to drink into a silver goblet. It sent curls of steam into the air, hot and sweet and tasting vaguely of cherries when Syaoran raised it to his lips and took a tentative sip. Mokona began to brightly recount tales of the tour to Fai and Fai listened to her, nodding and asking questions at all the appropriate parts, but his eyes were distant, lost somewhere no-one could follow him.

There was a burst of conversation from beyond the glass doors, a sudden throng of noise as a small group of faeries entered the room the balcony was attached to, their voices carrying in the air to the trio outside.

"I'm tellin' you, the only thing we lost when she left was maybe a decent meal." The loudest was medium in height, slim, dark-haired and wild-eyed with great, black wings rising out of his back. He was flanked on either side by twin giggling, mewing girls, and seemed to be speaking to a taller male beside him, ignoring the gaggle of hangers-on around them. "Nobody would've touched her anyway; she was spoiled goods."

"She was of royal blood," his companion replied evenly, his own great wings flat against his back. "She held rank higher than both the Sumeragis and the Sakurazukas in terms of royal inheritance, and her child would've been the same."

"The brat would've been a half-breed bastard," the original scoffed, the girls beside him mewing agreement. "Prob'ly cursed too – everyone _knows_ fey blood and human blood mix something strange. We should be thankful she vanished out of shame before the kid was born – that way they both ended up out of our hair. Both of them are probably dead, which is a plus. Seriously, this place has enough issues as it is."

"Maybe if she'd stayed and given birth here there might be a few _less _issues."

"Huh?" An intelligent noise.

"It's a toss-up as to who's getting the crown after Ashura-sama now, isn't it? Bastard or not, Koryuu, the Monou child would've been a clear heir." There was a clamour of consensus from the group around them, a giggle that perhaps Koryuu or Kokyou should try for the crown –

"_Is that the only reason you care?!"_

There was a stunned silence, the heads of the fey swivelling around at the sudden cry from the balcony, staring at the glaring human boy rigid with blazing, righteous anger, his hands in fists at his side. When there was no answer immediately forthcoming from the stunned fey, Syaoran demanded a reply once more.

"Is that the only reason you care about whether a baby is alive or not?" The youth sounded disgusted. "Because it might be a little less of an inconvenience to you if they were still around?"

"…I couldn't care less either way, kid." It was 'Koryuu' who spoke, hands tucked behind his head and expression bored. "The high nobles can bitch about it to their hearts' content – but at least without a half-breed brat around here we'll be spared the inherent curse that comes with their type. We've had enough of curses and the mess they cause around here." _What _curses?

Syaoran felt rather than saw Fai come up behind him, the blond a solid presence at his side. He couldn't see the older man's face, didn't know what Fai's response was to the situation, but Fai was _there, _and that was enough to spur Syaoran on. "It doesn't matter. Whether someone is human, fey or both – it doesn't matter. Whether they're cursed – none of that _matters!_ How can anyone be blamed for things that aren't their fault?!"

Mokona's voice, behind him, was small. "Syaoran…"

Koryuu frowned at Syaoran. "Why should we be saddled with a cursed brat? Better they die quickly than bring misfortune on everyone else."

"People should have the right to live, to be helped to live." Syaoran was still angry, determined to stick at his argument. "People define themselves; they're not defined by the things that happen to them. How can you make a decision about someone before you even know them?"

"Indeed, Koryuu," a new voice spoke from the room's entrance, faeries whirling around and making quiet sounds of distress, the mewing girls suddenly changing into cats and hiding behind Koryuu's ankles. It was Ashura, still a little breathless from the spar, thin-lipped and cold-eyed. No-one had been paying enough attention to realise the ringing of the swords down in the training grounds had ended, and Ashura had finished his duel with the Lord Yasha. "Tell me, how is it that you can judge someone without truly knowing them?"

Koryuu clenched his jaw, but bowed his head. "My apologies, Your Highness."

Ashura stepped forwards, breezing past the group of faeries and heading for the balcony, without sparing them another glance. _"Leave."_

The faeries left, wings, cats, ire and all.

"Your Highness," Syaoran quickly bowed when the Regent approached the balcony and them, the royal running a vaguely weary hand back through their long hair.

"My apologies if they distressed you," Ashura looked wan, devoid of most jewellery so it would not catch during the swordplay, but still somehow regal, still austere. "For all the warnings they have been given, some here still do not know when it is best to mind their tongues. It shows the state affairs have fallen into with my father absent, to have people gossiping about the royal family so freely." A sigh, the faerie coming forward to take a seat at the table, Fai following suit and taking the chair opposite. Syaoran hovered, uncomfortable again. "I am not sure whether this current situation is the best, or whether things were more preferable when they muttered their discontent only behind our backs. Regardless," Ashura looked up, and met the boy's gaze with gold eyes, "you have my thanks for your heated defence."

Syaoran shook his head. "I didn't mean -" He hadn't really been defending the royal family, per say, just –

"Syaoran-kun is a good boy," Fai murmured, looking of into space once more. It was the sort of phrase that called for a smile but Mokona just looked at the blond, pensive, touching one white paw to the back of Fai's hand.

"Syaoran is really clever," Mokona said simply. "Mokona thinks everybody should listen to him, so the world would be a happier place."

"Er -" Syaoran was beginning to flush slightly, "I'm really not -"

Fai glanced back at that, grinning. "Syaoran-kun is very modest too."

Pink began to slowly turn into a dull red, creeping up Syaoran's cheeks. "F-Fai-san -"

Mokona decided to do a stage-whisper for the benefit of the table at large. "Mokona thinks Syaoran is just _shy."_

"Mokona -"

"Shy, shy, _sh~y!" _Mokona giggled, and Ashura covered a smile behind one hand. "Mokona thinks Syaoran is very cute when he's _bluuuu~shing!"_

"_Mokona-!"_

Fai had to chime in. "A very cute little puppy indeed."

"A puppy?" Mokona was entranced by the nickname. Inwardly, Syaoran groaned.

"Well, you see, he and Kuro-wan-wan got along _extremely _well…"

A pretty shade of crimson Syaoran sat down at the table, and barely resisted the urge to bury his face in his folded arms as Fai began to recount to Mokona the many tales of 'Kuro-pui the great and his noble sidekick Syaoran!' Barely one story in and Mokona had already insisted that she and Fai turn them into a great ballad together, an epic beyond all epicness sung by the multi-talented and oh-so-amazing Mokona Modoki. Of course, they'd have to get a picture of Kurogane's reaction, and they could send that to Yuuko.

Ashura, amused, poured the poor boy another goblet of juice. It was safe – the cup was far too narrow for Syaoran to attempt to drown himself in.


	12. The Prettiest Flowers

**Shadow****: **I've not a terrible lot to say, other than 'oops.' ;;; Also, raspberry milkshake shower gel smells extraordinarily lovely.

* * *

**Ever After**

**Chapter XII: The Prettiest Flowers**

_Once upon a time, within the span of one generation ago, a babe and his mother left the ruins of Suwa to live in the Enchanted Forest with the child's grandparents on his father's side, returning to the old ways the child's father had abandoned for the light of Nihon. Their old home was gone – Suwa was completely destroyed thanks to mysterious oni many claimed had come from the trees – but it did not detract from the hope the forest offered them, the kindness offered by Doumeki Haruka and his wife to their kin, to their daughter-in-law and to their grandson, Doumeki Shizuka._

_Shizuka was quiet and clever as he slowly grew up, and got along well with his grandfather. Haruka taught him about the forest, about the fey that dwelled there, about charms and protection against magical wiles. They examined the tales of the trees, of the spirits, and Shizuka listened silently as Haruka spoke of witches and wishes and the price of all things. The boy had strong spiritual strength, and took to his grandfather's training well. When Haruka died, half a year after Shizuka's twelfth birthday, Shizuka was understandably upset._

_He was distracted when he went into the forest for days afterwards, his bow and arrows with him as he sought peace from his remaining family for a little while to train. On one of those days he went particularly far in, coming across a tranquil clearing with a crystal coffin at its heart, glittering in the afternoon sun. A young man slept inside and Shizuka sought to wake him, only to be seized by the curse upon the case the moment he opened the lid. He felt it at work upon him and he doubled over, dropping his weapons as the magic changed his form. His feet became claws, his arms, wings, his skin rippling and sprouting golden feathers, his face morphing into a razor beak. _

_Shizuka lay stunned for a while after the spell did its work, and then somehow staggered to his feet, tottering around dizzily, unused to the weight of his wings, his new centre of gravity. He tried to get back to his home but everything looked different, and his head ached too much for him to really think straight. He grew lost under the trees, eventually sinking down to rest in the shade of one of them, hazy and hurting. He fell asleep there, and when he woke up, there was a sharp-eyed fox eying him, clearly bent on a new meal. Still dizzy Shizuka could do little else than get up onto his claws, flapping his wings – and then the fox pounced, and sank teeth into his new right wing. Shizuka put up a struggle – as did the fox, determined to get his prey, and there was fur and feathers and blood. Somewhat weak and confused after his transformation went under the fox, and passed out, in pain, thinking he was going to die. _

_It naturally came as some surprise, therefore, when he woke up again, bandaged, breathing, and still a bird. He was lying on a soft cushion, a sliding door open in the fairly non-descript room he was in leading to a green garden outside, fresh air and sunshine spilling in across the floor._

"_So you're awake."_

_Shizuka knew at first glance the woman who was with him wasn't normal. His grandfather's teachings rang clear in his mind as he met her red eyes with his golden own, seeing wisdom there, the weight of years and knowledge. She was beautiful, carrying a regal austerity that neither his mother nor his grandmother bore with a casual confidence, but it did nothing to ease the sudden frisson going through Shizuka – something about the strange woman put his back up, ruffled his feathers and left him tense._

_She only smiled at him. "You're wondering why you're here?" Shizuka didn't reply – he didn't know if he could talk after his transformation anyway. __"You wished not to die. Silently, and yet with all your heart, you wished not to die in that instant when you went under the fox, and so I granted that wish."_

_Shizuka opened his beak, and, thankfully, words still came as they had done when he had been a human. "I did not wish to you."_

_His words were blunt – they could've easily been considered offensive judging by what the woman before had apparently done for him, but Shizuka was a Doumeki, taught by Haruka, and raised in the Enchanted Forest. Things were rarely given for free in the magical world – 'favours' carried steep prices._

"_Maybe…" the woman had long black hair, long strands that trailed around her as she knelt, easily caught up and kept for binding. "Maybe not. I answered all the same."_

_And, in the greater scheme of things, that still counted. Shizuka eyed his hostess, wary. "What is your price?" _

"_It is already paid." Shizuka's distrust did not lessen. "Your grandfather did me a great service some years back, and he requested I intercede in these events."_

_Shizuka remained with the woman for a week, as his injuries slowly healed. Through the chattering of her two servant girls he learned that he was on an island on the lake in the forest, and through the signs of another visitor to the island he learned that his hostess was a witch. When the week was done most of his bandages were removed, and the lady witch came to sit by him again._

"_I could break the spell keeping you in that body, if you wished for it."_

_Shizuka turned his head away from her._

_She only smiled again. "I thought you would not make the wish. So did your grandfather – you would rather break it yourself, so he paid so that you might learn the methodology." There were many things Shizuka could've asked to that – what had Haruka paid, how he had known to pay it – but Shizuka didn't ask. It wasn't in his nature, and one could only exchange so much. "There is a Court not too far from here – the Faerie Court. Its king has long been absent and its Regent needs a messenger – if you go to them, and take up the position there, the curse upon you will eventually be broken. You may not know when that day will come or how the curse-breaking will occur, and you will be subject to the whims of the fey, kept only for so long as you are useful to them. They kill those who swear service to them and then fail in their tasks, and yet, this is the only way open to you in your mindset. Will you take it, Doumeki-kun?"_

_Shizuka – Doumeki – took it, as Yuuko, the woman and wish-granting witch, had known he would. He went to the Faerie Court with her guidance and swore his service to the Crown, the Royal Crest hung around his neck to bind him into silence. He could speak when it was removed – but who cared to hear his voice?_

_Doumeki returned to his home to watch over his mother and grandmother, but didn't dare get too close. His grandfather's own wards, that had once protected him, repelled him with the Crest around his neck, and his silence meant he could not speak to his remaining family. When his grandmother died and his mother returned to her home in Nihon Doumeki resolved he would never return to his home until the day he was human again, serving the Regent of the Faerie Court until then. He was sent to Yuuko's island on business quite a few times but she spoke little to him – the few times he looked for her, and her home, when not bid by the Court he couldn't even find the lake she was supposed to dwell on, even though he followed the river down from the waterfall._

"_You have no need of my shop," she explained to him once, idly, when he brought her a price from the Regent, "and so you will not find me." _

_The girl came first. Alone, from Nihon, with dark curling hair and sad, sad eyes, something about her immediately caught Doumeki's attention, causing him to watch her carefully. She wasn't a child, but she wasn't a woman, and she paused when she entered the trees' shade to look up at the tangle of branches above her, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves before slowly moving forwards. She went to the witch and she was put in the tower, that creation of smooth white stone and broken hearts. He flew by her window one day and she smiled like she was crying, and so, for a terribly long time for a mortal, he didn't fly back again. The fey murmured about the place, and said the tower was evil._

_The boy came next. Quite unlike the girl's steady pace and pauses this one _ran, _feet guiding him where his thoughts couldn't quite reach him. Again, the stranger caught Doumeki's attention – the boy was pale, from Nihon, with eyes like twilight. He moved like the wind but was a lot noisier about it, and looked like a broken thing. He, too, went to the witch, and the forest whispered about the lady's new apprentice, who the spirits hungered for and the witch minded close, though the child-student claimed she did nothing but torment him. The Court's business did not take Doumeki to the witch for a long time and so he didn't see the boy there – instead, a new creature flailed under the trees, visiting the girl in the tower who laughed and smiled and chattered with him. Doumeki watched them absently, as he went about his duties, and they went about their own lives._

_He was passing the tower again one time when he heard a strange noise – coming closer, it was discernible as crying. He flew to the tower window-ledge despite himself, seeing the girl, now a few years older, with her face covered by her hands, and tears dripping down her cheeks. He must've made some noise while doing so for she looked up at him, and she looked thoroughly miserable._

"_You…" she breathed out, a hitching sound, and then she smiled. She must've been a liar before she was put in the tower, for how else could she have learned since then, being totally alone? "You shouldn't be here."_

_Doumeki didn't move. Even though the girl – the young woman – tried to shoo him he refused to budge, looking at her impassively. Eventually, she stopped, seeing it was a lost cause and sinking down into a seat, a half-reluctant, half-reproachful smile on her face. It hurt to look at a little, but it didn't look as dejected as her tears._

_That was the beginning of it, though neither of them could tell._

* * *

"_Hiiimawaaari-chaaaaaan~~!"_

"Watanuki-kun!" Himawari looked delighted to see the sparkly Watanuki at the base of her tower, leaning far out of her high window so that her hair – loose that day – swept around her face in dark ringlets, almost obscuring her sight. "Doumeki-kun came to tell me you'd been sick; that's why you hadn't come for a few days. Are you feeling better now?"

Watanuki promptly sparkled up at his beloved a thousand times more, spinning around in a swirl of happiness that not even the mention of _Doumeki _could squash. (Thankfully, the eagle was nowhere in sight that day.) His darling, his precious, lovely, wonderful Himawari-chan had been _concerned _about him-! _"_I'm _wonderful, _Himawari-chan!_" _He felt like leaping, spinning, _soaring, _smiling up at his one true love –

"_Watanuki-kun!" _Himawari gasped, her voice ringing with distress. Watanuki blinked out of his love-struck daze immediately, alert for danger, but that wasn't what had upset the girl. "Watanuki-kun, what happened to your eye?"

Instinctively, Watanuki raised a hand to his bandaged right eye, as if to cover it from sight, but the damage was done. Himawari had seen his covered eye, face stricken, her own gaze suspiciously bright. "It's nothing~!" Watanuki tried to be reassuring, forcing cheerfulness, but the eye-patch's material was coarse beneath his fingertips, the edge of one of his knuckles brushing the edge of his glasses. "Just a little accident in the kitchen while I was cooking. Himawari-chan shouldn't worry about me." A little white lie wouldn't hurt anyone.

Himawari bit her lip. "Did it happen whilst you were sick?"

Watanuki smiled, sad. "…Yeah." Make that _two _little white lies.

"Watanuki-kun shouldn't work so hard all the time! Especially not when he's sick!" Himawari scolded him roundly for his fabricated transgressions, worry clouding her voice. She quietened slightly, and Watanuki had to strain to hear her. "…Accidents happen. I don't want Watanuki-kun to get hurt."

"…I'll be alright," he promised her, just as quietly, and smiled. The basket he'd brought Himawari that day felt heavy in his grasp so he set it down on the grass, careful not to crush a single flower that was growing there. "I don't ever want Himawari-chan to be sad because of me."

* * *

Kurogane stood at the beginning of Leval's castle gardens dressed in Court finery with a basket of roses on his arm, and tried his very hardest not to feel domesticated. It was a little hard, considering he could _feel _a certain angel smirking at him from under a nearby copse of trees and he really was slowly trailing around after a bubbling princess cutting _flowers _of all things, but years of service under the Tsukoyomi at Shirasagi had steeled his manly nerves against that sort of thing (almost), and he bore the situation with admirable dignity (and only a tiny twitch at the corner of one eye). Anything was better than being a wolf he supposed – he had no idea, really, why the curse had stopped working when he'd unduly entered the castle, why he stood as a human both day and night. The witch…_Fai _had some explaining to do when he next caught either or both of them.

"Kurogane-san!" Sakura waved him over with a smile from another copse of rose bushes, Keroberos at her side, tilting her head up at him so she could meet his eyes from under the brim of her hat. It seemed pretty hot outside, and the hat kept her green eyes from the sun's glare. Obligingly, he went over, and tried not to let the fact he was contemplating the many ways it might be possible to kill an angel show on his face. "Kurogane-san, do you think we should cut some red roses as well?"

Kurogane looked down at the red bloom the princess was holding out to him with a smile, largely disinterested. A flower was a flower, whatever colour it was, and roses weren't poisonous. Colours seemed brighter to him than they had before – perhaps it was a side-effect from having monochrome vision in his canine form for so long, and only regaining colour vision with the falling of night. It had been over half a year, after all. "If you can think of something to do with them afterwards."

Sakura looked thoughtful, considering the flowers already in her basket, as well as the ones in Kurogane's. "We _have _cut quite a few already – but there are a lot of rooms in the palace."

"Mistress," Yue approached, a soft beat of his wings until he stood beside Kurogane, ("Sa-ku-ra!" The girl chided her guardian immediately, only for Yue to ignore her. It seemed like a long-running argument) "do you really wish to arrange flowers for so many rooms? It would be a tiring task."

Kurogane interrupted. "Couldn't the servants do it?"

Sakura blinked up at him. "Servants?"

One of Keroberos' wings twitched in agitation. "There aren't any servants."

Sakura nodded. "There's just Yue-san, Kero-chan and I here, Kurogane-san. And now you." She placed the rose she'd been holding down in her basket, one red bloom on a blanket of white, a drop of blood on the snow. "It's always been that way, ever since I was very small."

In Kurogane's eyes the princess was _still_ very small, but he didn't say that – he didn't do much but 'hn' under his breath; whether or not an angel and a winged lion had been fit constant company and role-models for a lonely little girl as she was growing up was none of his business.

"The princess was kidnapped from her home country of Clow when she was seven." Yue's tones were clipped, his story-telling blunt and to the point. "She was brought in, and sealed by the magic barrier about the place. There's no-one in the castle but us and -"

"There are people in the town!" Sakura cut Yue off in her enthusiasm, putting down her basket and clapping her hands together. "We don't see them very often but they've always been very kind – come," she took Kurogane's larger hand in her own impulsively, pulling the man along to the furthest end of the garden, and a low white wall there. She waved her free hand over it, smiling brilliantly. "Look!"

Kurogane looked. And Kurogane _stared._

A long, steep hill rolled down the other side of the wall, carpeted in clinging grass and flowers but impossible to climb. Below – terribly, terribly far below – white buildings gleamed under the sun, arched roofs with roads threaded between them, steps up and down a sloping town of dreams and spires, archways and bridges spanning here and there. Tiny people moved about below, splashes of colour amidst the white – the town was by no means bustling, but the people seemed busy enough. Beyond the town was a great white wall, and beyond the wall there was –

_Nothing. _The land stopped there, dropping off into blue sky, and white curling clouds.

Kurogane choked. "We're _flying?"_

Sakura blinked up at him. "Kurogane-san, you didn't know?" She sounded curiously surprised – then again, she _was _the one who'd spent most of her life in a lonely castle overlooking a _flying_ _city_. "The island we're on has wings – you can see them when you come outside at night; they only show under the moon."

Kurogane still looked a little stunned, so Yue took it upon himself to elaborate. "The castle, the town, and the barrier around them are made up and supported by layers of different magics – all of seemingly different origins – that do different tasks. The people of the town… Quite a few seem to have been drawn in by the magic over the years; sometimes by accident, sometimes by design. They weren't important enough to warrant a place in the castle, so they took up home in the town. It was empty before we came here."

Keroberos suddenly stiffened, bristling as his neck jerked up, looking at something just out of sight. Yue, seeing his brother's action, jolted slightly as well, before placing a slim hand on Kurogane's back and suddenly _shoving _the man into a nearby large bush with surprising strength. (Kurogane dropped his basket on the way.)

Kurogane tripped over some root or stone in the soil and landed on his knees in a rather undignified fashion due to the push – his reputation due to his physical prowess back in Nihon would have taken a considerable hammering had Souma or any of the other shinobi seen it. He – naturally – wasn't particularly pleased, opening his mouth to complain only to have the bush abruptly come to life around him – more than usual, anyway -, and stuff a bunch of leaves in his mouth, choking him. _Magic._

As he spat them out, Yue glowered through the bush at him. "If you value your life," the angel threatened lowly, "you will sit there until we say you can come out again and _not make a single sound._"

Kurogane growled, still willing to protest – but then Sakura echoed her guardian, with clasped hands and large eyes, her voice soft, urgent. "Please, Kurogane-san?"

Kurogane gave in. (He told himself it had nothing to do with the girl's pleading expression – of course not -; it was simply common sense – after all, anything that could bother the bitchy angel and his cat companion would have to be something to be incredibly wary of.)

The bush wove itself more tightly around Kurogane, hiding him from sight as there was the sound of footsteps on the gravel path of the garden, a steady _crunch _coming closer. Through the weave of leaves and twigs in front of his nose Kurogane peered out, narrowing his gaze at the picture of a perfect gentleman that had come to stand before Sakura, half-bowing from the waist with an indulgent smile on his face.

"Princess."

With that one word, both Yue and Keroberos already looked infuriated.

Sakura's expression was neutral. "Rondart-san," she greeted demurely, inclining her head slightly in a gesture Kurogane could only guess Yue had drilled into her – she looked so very strange without her usual sunny smile, but, at the end of the day, she was royalty.

'Rondart' was dressed in the courtly fashion the castle seemed fond of, laced and frilled with a blue ribbon tying back his black hair. The look did nothing to endear the man to Kurogane – in fact, the smug glint of the sunlight on Rondart's glasses, coupled with the man's own patronising tone, made Kurogane long to do nothing less than punch the man squarely in the face. (Judging by the rippling flex of the lithe muscles in Yue's back and wings, sheer _restraint_ in its purest form, the abuse could even be a good bonding exercise for the two of them.)

"My apologies for the unannounced visit," Kyle said, and laid his hand atop Sakura's head in an almost fatherly fashion, "but it has been a while since my last visit, has it not?"

"Almost four weeks, Rondart-san," Sakura replied, and did not bow her head to cause the hand to drop away, nor step back. Kyle kept his hand there in expectation of the act, but when the princess remained unflinching, looking at him with impassively clear eyes, he dropped the limb himself, letting it hang awkwardly at his side once more.

Kereberos spoke, claws digging into the grass below them. "So your visit was not so '_unexpected', _after all." There was a coiled anger in his words, quite unlike the guardian's usually brighter disposition.

"Perhaps." Rondart smiled again, apparently eased by the familiar temper. "How goes your Sight?" He spoke to Sakura again, eyes trained on the girl's face.

It was Yue's turn to bristle again. "You know she lost the ability to See a few feathers ago." He was lying – wasn't he? Kurogane could recall the two guardians and the princess mentioning her Sight when they'd first met… (But why were they measuring time in feathers?)

"All of it in one go?" Rondart kept smiling, his expression closed. "What a pity." Yue gritted his teeth, and Kurogane scratched his fingers in the dirt, trying not to lose his own temper. Just who did this Rondart think he was? "We'll be holding another set of balls at the end of the week." Sakura's face dropped. "Come," the newcomer tried to be persuasive, "don't you like the dancing?" He raised a hand again but Keroberos pushed between Rondart and the princess, rumbling out a firm command.

"Leave. Now."

Rondart went reluctantly. He tried not to show it, blathering and bluffing his way through the rest of the conversation, dawdling away the time in an effort to convince all present that he wasn't departing in the face of Keroberos' gleaming teeth. He didn't convince anyone, and departed with a rather mincing stalk and a dainty look upon his face that suggested someone had wafted something unpleasant under his refined little nose.

Sakura bent down to pick up Kurogane's fallen basket as Rondart strode huffily away, the crunch of his footsteps getting quieter and quieter as he moved further away. Still no-one looked at Kurogane in the bush – when the shinobi tried to move the plant only wrapped more firmly around him and held him still. Sakura was speaking softly with her guardians – apparently she felt tired, something to do with the sun, and they suggested she go lie down – but Kurogane was busy struggling against the bush. Every branch he snapped caused three more to bind him in place, and he was really beginning to hate the taste of twigs being shoved in his mouth. It was another five minutes or so before Kurogane was finally freed, bursting out the bush thoroughly irritated with the ones that had dumped him in there.

They ignored him, clustered around Sakura, and Yue shot him a pointed look as he started escorting the princess inside, a clear 'not _now'_.

Keroberos followed his brother in, but not before offering a low jab to their guest's pride. "You've got leaves in your hair."

Kurogane swore after them both (a little more quietly than usual, so Sakura wouldn't hear), swiping the leaves out of his hair and resolving to get his answers as soon as Sakura was resting and he could collar her guardians again. He had too many questions to be shoved aside (again).

* * *

It was like looking at a vision from his childhood, an inversion of the memories in his head. A slim form with pale skin, sable hair cut short around a softly pointed-face, grass-green eyes expressively lined, though downcast…

Fai dropped the sheet he was holding that had been covering the figure before him, his mind trailing off into questions as to why, exactly, someone had made a – female - doll version of Lord Subaru Sumeragi and put her away in some forgotten room in a quiet corner of the Faerie Court. He'd been wandering – a little bored – when he'd caught sight of a white hand, a limb having slipped out from under its covering sheet. Curiosity had caused him to investigate further – and now he stood, perplexed.

"Her name's Hokuto."

Fai didn't jump when a voice spoke behind him – he'd known he had a tail as he'd went around the Court, but it hadn't particularly bothered him. "Why does she look like Subaru-san?"

Fuuma came further into the room from where he'd been lounging against the door lintel, his hands stuffed lazily in his pockets. Fai wondered just who he was doing the tailing for. "She was a gift – from my cousin, Lady Kotori Monou, to Lord Subaru. Back when we were younger, and Subaru was very small. He wondered what it would be like to have a sister, so Kotori made him one for his birthday."

Fai considered the information. "Didn't Kamui-san object?"

Fuuma smiled, a languid expression. "Kamui thought it was a weird thing to wonder about, but he took to the doll as much as Subaru did, only with a bit more hissing. Hokuto was…very _energetic, _and liked to play dress-up with them."

"…I see." Kamui had probably thrown an out-and-out fit about being put in frilly clothes, and then caved in when Subaru made eyes at him.

"It was pretty easy to forget she was a doll." Fuuma's smile hadn't dropped at all, but with his eyes in shadow he was just as enigmatic as his infuriating brother. "She didn't act like one."

"…Even created beings have hearts." Fai crouched down beside the doll – Hokuto – and lifted her limply-hanging hand, putting it back on her lap. Her skin was smooth, soft but cold, fingers made for painting, sewing, delicate tasks. Fai could still remember Subaru's hands, much the same, the smiling noble plaiting the twins' hair. Hokuto: a doll in the image of someone else – was that the fate of all the pretty marionettes? Chii – sweet Chii, flying fast and far away to deliver a message for him – had been made in the shape of his mother, strung together from memories and magic. Fai hoped she was alright.

Fuuma nodded, a brief movement. "Makes them easier to break." Fai slanted a glance at him but the faerie was quicker, taking one of Fai's hands and pressing it against Hokuto's cool chest, below her collarbone. There was no heartbeat, vibration…nothing. "Someone mangled her heart one day, and she's never worked since. She was gutted open, and for all our magic we couldn't do anything but cover up the hole."

Fai slid his hand away from Fuuma's larger palm, and stood. "Couldn't Monou-shi fix her?"

"Possibly," Fuuma put his hands back in his pockets, "but Kotori left the forest a few years beforehand, and never came back." He wasn't smiling anymore. "General consensus is that she's dead."

Fai bowed his head. "…Ah." He didn't ask any more questions.

* * *

The smithies of the Faerie Court were a sight to behold, tucked away behind secret doors that only led into the glorious open air once more, the diligent fey hard at work under the shade of trees the like Syaoran had never seen before, with warped branches and curling roots that coiled around magical fires burning every colour of the rainbow and a few more besides.

"What do you think of our workshops?" The Regent Ashura, Syaoran's guide, asked the boy, drawing Syaoran's attention back from where he'd been staring at a faerie blowing bubbles of what he could only assume was coloured glass – that is, right up until those bubbles began floating up into the air, caught with a silver net three more faeries sitting up in a tree's branches above held strung out for such a purpose.

"They're…" one of the bubbles missed the net to the cries of its catchers, soaring up into the sky, still hot from the fire that had crafted it. As it rose higher and higher it cooled and changed colour once, twice, and then shattered, raining down tiny glitters that the souls on the ground ran around trying to catch in painted buckets. "They're _fascinating."_

Ashura smiled, apparently pleased by the compliment. "This Court is what you make of it." It said a lot about the boy that Syaoran could still view it as a place of wonder.

Mokona, sitting on Syaoran's left shoulder, started jumping up and down. "Mokona wants to try that!" She was pointing out a set of strangely-shaped billows a short distance away, a smiling, serene faerie with wings pumping them as a friend flailed at him, twirling about with little licks of flame. It seemed as though the latter faerie was being mostly ignored, as swirling, blue-tinted smoke came out of the bellows in steady puffs, drifting in rings over a shallow tract of liquid metal that ran past them, part of a longer assembly line that snaked around at least three large trees.

Primera, once more sitting on Syaoran's other shoulder putting tiny braids in the boy's hair, snorted, but before she could comment a new voice broke into the conversation:

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." The new speaker – a young woman – bowed her head graciously in the direction of Ashura when the small group turned to see who had spoken, her high, golden-blonde ponytail swinging down over her shoulder with the forward motion. "Highness."

"Presea," Ashura said by means of introduction for Syaoran and Mokona, motioning to the new faerie with one hand, "the High Blacksmith of this Court."

"I'm responsible for maintaining this place," Presea said, straightening with a smile. Syaoran smiled back at her – and then noticed the heavy bouquet of familiar silver flowers in her arms, the blooms streaked with vivid shades of red. Weren't those the ones he'd seen when he'd rescued Watanuki…?

"She makes the best weapons out of all the fey," Primera whispered. "She made Shougo's sword for him."

The green-haired faerie apparently didn't whisper quietly enough. "The materials are very expensive and need to be carefully monitored at every stage of development," Presea explained, following on from Primera's opening. "Which is why I'm afraid your little companion can't have a turn at the bellows – it would be too costly if there was a mistake." The blacksmith sighed, and looked down at the blooms in her hold. "We pay a lot for these."

"Excuse me, but…" Syaoran interjected, "those flowers…are they the materials you use to make your weaponry?"

"That's right." Presea said, mildly perplexed at the boy's obvious astonishment.

"Syaoran has one of those~," Mokona sang out – she still wasn't terribly good at keeping private matters _private_. Syaoran wasn't even going to ask how she knew he had the flower from Watanuki in the first place; Mokona's dreams took her to other places, and it was sometimes best not to question her or them.

Ashura raised an eyebrow. "The Jorougumo gifted one to a _human?"_

Syaoran rubbed the back of his head. "…It's a long story."

"You should put it to good use," Ashura said, thoughtful. "Would you allow us to craft your flower into a sword for you? You have done me favours with your strong defence in this Court and your quest in itself will most likely do me more favours yet – you should take a gift from us, to show our gratitude."

"I -" Syaoran started, stumbling a little at the thought of Kurogane's sword, that beautiful blue long sword Fai claimed had been of faerie crafting. To have a weapon like that… "It would be an honour."

'_Of course it would.' _Yuuko suddenly chimed from behind the group, startling them all – save Mokona, who only giggled when Ashura tensed, Syaoran jumped, Primera _eek_ed and Presea almost fell over at the massive circular window the white creature had called up without telling anyone. Yuuko smiled down at them all, well aware of Mokona's tricks. _'Do you know how much a faerie sword is worth in trade? Especially one crafted by the High Blacksmith herself.' _Presea, catching the compliment, stopped waving her hand through the transmission and hastily bowed.

"Yuuko-san," Ashura spoke, calling the witch's attention, "the flower is in your care?"

'_It's a long story,' _Yuuko smiled, enigmatic as always, and Syaoran shifted a little uncomfortably, wondering if Yuuko had hired magical spies and planted them _everywhere. _She raised the flower Watanuki had originally picked for Himawari – it wasn't as vibrant as the ones Presea held but it was still shimmering, the petals firm and still showing the contrast of silver and red. _'Mokona?' _

The flower vanished from Yuuko's hands in a swirl of magic, reappearing a second or two later in front of Syaoran and the others when Mokona spat it out of her mouth with a cheerful '_puu!' _Syaoran caught it, holding the flower closely to his chest.

Yuuko continued, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. _'How goes it locating the castle?'_

"My people are still searching the archives," Ashura told her. "It's taking quite a while – my father did a lot of business in the Court when I was young, and there is much to be looked through, especially since the filing of the time seems to be out or order."

'…_Of course,' _Yuuko said, her face solemn – and her tone, strangely, echoing with an odd twinge of what could have been compassion. _'I wish you all the best.' _She vanished with a nod of her head, Mokona letting the image dissolve into coloured light, and then nothing.

"You have some interesting sponsors on your journey," Ashura commented to Syaoran, the youth smiling a little awkwardly in acknowledgement and bowing his head.

Presea, meanwhile, had her free hand on her hip, and was hollering into the distance. _"Ryuuki!" _The flailing, fiery angel over by the bellows visibly jumped at the yell, fluttering his wings and swooping over as soon as he'd located the High Blacksmith.

"Presea -"

"_Here," _Presea shoved the flowers she was holding into the other faerie's grasp, 'Ryuuki' fumbling with them for a second before arranging them neatly in his hold. "Put these in my room – and _don't _crush them."

"Yes, Presea -"

"And stop bothering Ransho – he's working!"

Ryuuki bowed his head, colouring a little. "Yes, Presea."

"_Scary," _Mokona whispered behind a tiny paw as Ryuuki fluttered off again, Primera and Syaoran nodding in agreement. Presea turned and eyed all three of them, Syaoran letting out a quiet '_urk.'_

"May I have the flower?" The blacksmith extended a hand and Syaoran handed over the silver bloom immediately, watching in interest as Presea began to closely examine it. "…This is a good one," the faerie murmured, mostly to herself, but Ashura moved a little closer, intrigued by her words. Presea glanced up, smiling at Syaoran warmly. "It has your fire in it – and friendship, and bravery. You must've done something very great indeed with this in your possession, for it to burn so fiercely." Syaoran attempted to look like he could understand how a flower could be burning in the first place. Presea held the flower in question out to Ashura. "It's as fine a standard as the one that gave birth to Souhi." The Regent took the flower, looking at it as well for a few seconds. "Don't you think so?" Ashura handed it back with a nod. "I'll enjoy working on it."

"Let me help." Primera fluttered over the other woman with a glimmering flutter of her wings, wavering in the air before Presea's face. "I can sing, while you make it." When Presea looked as if she was about to speak Primera continued on, raising her voice. "I _can _sing I'll have you know! I'm Primera, one of the best singers at this stupid Court! And – and –" she huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I need to pay back my saviour."

Ashura and Presea looked at Syaoran. Syaoran blushed.

"…Alright," said Presea finally, surmising Primera. "You can sing while the sword is made – I'm sure it can only help, after all." Primera looked delighted. "Shall we go?"


End file.
